Red Velvet at the Roundhouse
‘Unfortunately you have not been successful…’ I skimmed the email a few times but I couldn’t spot the disappointment. I had been selected to be one of 24 artists to take part in an R&D residential project led by John Berkavitch and Ed Stephens at the Roundhouse. You can read more about the work, people and chance that led to this here.
This blog post is about what happened after.
The project run over 4 intense days of workshops, lectures and time to devise work in groups. The week started with Kat Francoise and making movement from poetry, responding to each other’s movement in walking improvisation (Berkavitch), strangling and punching each other in stage combat (Kiel O’Shea), composing and singing musical bars (Greg Fraser McLaren), building metaphors (Berkavitch), sitting on people’s necks and walking on people’s backs in circus (Kahveh Rahnama), contemporary dance (Marso Riviere) and stage lighting with Eathan Hudson!
We asked the big questions about the personal in the artist’s work with Yomi Sode. We thought about the practicalities of running a theatre company with Liz Counsell, Nabokov Theatre. We heard about boldness and guts from Kojey Radical. We were encouraged to develop our skills as producers with Lucy Atkinson, Michelle Norton and Jacob Sam-la-Rose.
Randolph Matthews talked about authenticity and sticking to doing your own thing. Karim Kamar left us reflecting on balancing text, imagery and movement when working cross-form. PolarBear talked about improvisation and discovery in creating narratives and Hetain Patel shared his work across visual and performance arts.
The last day of the residency was spent in groups, working with a theme and dramaturgist Yael Shavit. We then had a few hours of devising before our sharing on Friday evening.
Our group’s theme was ‘imposter syndrome’, starting with the need to be approved by our parents, the different identities we assume in our daily lives professionally and personally and the inner conflict that underlies those interactions. In devising this piece, I had the opportunity to work with poet Vanessa Kisuule, dance artist Tash Wort and choreographer Del Mak.
The result was a cross-form piece where words and movement interwove to communicate our storyline.
[The night of the sharing. Back stage.]
Roselyn is reading a book, Tash is putting makeup on, someone is talking on the phone etc. My brain is on repeat: ‘There are people behind that door, here to see us.’ I am also barefoot and my feet are freezing. In a few minutes I need to improvise what comes after ‘Have you seen my show?’ And so, when the moment comes I say:
’It’s about climate change, mother nature and red velvet.’
I had the audience at ‘climate..’ and from then on I don’t remember much else besides talking into the lights.
“He who jumps into the void owes no explanation to those who stand and watch.”
— Jean-Luc Godard
Thank you
Thank you to John Berkavitch and Ed Stephens for the opportunity to learn, connect and play. Thanks to all artists who came to talk and share their experiences; participants — I learnt so much from working with you; friends who came to see the sharing, it was lovely to have you there.
