The Works

The Works is an opportunity for artists to present their work in development on Friday 30th September 2016. The particular focus is cross art-form and interdisciplinary exploration across theatre, dance and music.

At the heart of The Works is a dialogue between artists and audiences. It is an opportunity for artists to seek the opinions of the audience they wish to attract, and an opportunity for people who care about performance to engage in collective dramaturgy, supporting artists to envisage the choices and possibilities available to them.

A&E Comedy, Enter the Dragons - Theatre/ Movement/ Puppetry

Enter The Dragons focuses on the subject of female aging, examining the fears and societal pressures which surround women as they pass fifty. Drawing on the classic mythological quest structure, the piece will reclaim this archetypal Hero’s Journey and reframe it from the perspective of the mature woman. Banished from the land of the young, and beset by challenges, riddles and obstacles, our Protagonist must find her way, guided by mystical creatures and Seers who have gone before. What wisdom can they impart? How can she best equip herself to defeat the demons? How will she triumph? Expect stupid characters, ridiculous costumes, puppetry, buffoonery and many, many wigs.

Written and performed by Abigail Dooley and Emma Edwards. Directed by Will Kerley. Comedy Direction by Toby Park, Designed by Lucy Bradridge.

Tim Casson, Choreocracy - Dance/ Digital

Dance Artist Tim Casson and Digital Artist Seb Lee-Delisle, present their first collaboration: CHOREOCRACY: The fun interactive dance show that puts the audience in control of the performance.

Seb and Tim will be your guides through the show, and using innovative mobile technology, will give you control over the three highly-skilled dance performers in real-time - with no experience of dance required.

Find out what happens when they ask the public what would make a good show, decide what you do or don’t want to see, and have your say about what the dancers do next: as we explore whether a dance performance can be truly democratic.

Laura Murphy, No Performance IV - Circus/Performance.

Laura Murphy, Bristol based aerial artist will be presenting an excerpt of current work-in- progress entitled No Performance IV. No Performance IV is an extension of her individual role, in an existing performative triptych, No Performance III, which was directed by Terry O’Connor (Forced Entertainment), and performed and written by Laura Murphy.

In addition to aerial rope, and further textual and physical investigations into the word ‘No’ in relation to the social, political and personal colonization of the female body. The work explores how the (female) body is able to explode, both physically and verbally, out of social constraints and expectations. The performance material that Laura is proposing to present at The Works, will feature experiments in rhythm using ground based choreography, live spoken text and two short aerial sequences within which she has explored the process of distorting and exploding out of the body.