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| SPACE
The Playground Studio provides the conditions
that are essential to the creative theatre making process:
the investment of time, passion and commitment, a spirit of
enquiry, and the space to find it in. We have a vibrant space
in which performers and artists can play, create, explore and
develop ideas from the wilder shores of their imaginations.
A
beautiful and vast 2500 sq foot studio with natural daylight,
sprung floors and mirrored walls, the Playground is made available
to all its artists, schedule permitting.
TIME
At the Playground we treasure the freedom
necessary for artists to discover their unique voice, and
we allow them to explore it without the pressure of production. |
We welcome artists across diverse
theatre disciplines, not only actors, directors, and
writers , but also choreographers, puppeteers, dancers,
musicians, visual artists, film-makers and lighting
designers too. All with a view to creating work which
synthesizes these disciplines into a totally immersive
theatrical experience.
WORKSHOPS
& MASTERCLASSES
We encourage our affiliates to
keep their skills fresh and discover new ones. We do
this in two ways:
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By inviting leading artists/teachers to run one or two
day workshops on specialised subjects. Past classes have
included exploring Commedia dell’arte masks with
Marcello Magni, Movement with Hideki Noda and discovering
text with Henryk Baranowski. |
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We encourage individuals within the group to lead workshops
on their own personal specialties. This not only helps
the group to get to know each other’s interests
and passions, but gives individuals the chance to experiment
outside of their own fields of expertise and discover
something new. Recent workshops led by musicians proved
particularly successful and explored the limitations and
advantages of live and electronic music. |
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ANNUAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
PROGRAMME
The Research and Development Programme
is at the core of the Playground’s activities. The programme
runs in 3 phases:
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Phase
1 The Idea: Here you can have your idea heard, discussed
and played with. With space and people your idea can grow, often
in ways you couldn’t have imagined. Under the extraordinary
guidance of Linda Kerr Scott (Theatre de Complicite), it is
the ideas workshop that makes the devising programme at the
Playground utterly unique. |
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Phase
2 The Research: Every year, six of the ideas proposed
during the ideas workshop are given four days development time
in the studio. The ideas are selected by Playground Artistic
Director Peter Tate and a selected panel of affiliate members
and board members. The lead artist (the instigator of the idea)
then selects up to six other affiliate artists who together
work on the project for four days. At the end of the process,
the six projects are shared with the other members. |
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Phase 3 Development:
Two of the projects presented are selected for a further 3-week
development period. Both of these pieces will receive free studio
time and funding to pay all the artists involved.
At the end of the development period, the two final projects
will have the opportunity to present their work at a private
showing. Industry professionals, producers and fellow practitioners
will be invited to view the work.
It is made very clear that this viewing is of a work in progress.
While ensuring the artist feels safe and secure in sharing
their work at this key stage, the aim is to provide an opportunity
for the artist to take the project to the next stage. Key
figures invited to the showing often do just that, either
through further funding or by inviting the artists to develop
their work in-house.
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"We were very happy to be there and to have such a great
space to ourselves. The feeling that you give to artists is
of total friendship and understanding. The Playground is unique
for that reason. You love theatre and we thank you for it, and
for giving us the chance to work!"
- Marcello Magni and Kathryn Hunter
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