Hello!
One of my friends from Whitman University is studying abroad in Britain, and he just wrote me about seeing a show at Kneehigh. He sent me a link to their website, and I was introduced to a trove of theatrical inspiration.
I’ve always been interested in theatre that has ties to the natural world, to environmentalism, to our origins, etc. I find western society’s insistence on divorcing itself from nature both fascinating and appalling. As a society we consistently disown any relationship with nature; we take a hatchet to our roots again and again. I feel that theatre is THE art form to re-awaken this connection. The ritual of gathering to work out grand questions of life, the universe, and everything through performance is inherently connected to the natural world. Nature provides the original inspiration, means, and amphitheater. Unfortunately, for me, all “nature based” theatre I’ve seen has savored strongly of self rightousness, body odor, and wishy washy new age nonsense. If anyone has seen taking Woodstock, most of my collisions with nature-theatre have been uncomfortably similar to the theatre troupe living in Dimitri Martin’s barn.
Obviously I was less than excited when the first thing I read about Kneehigh was that they rehearsed in barns. I prepared myself for hippie dippie doo da day. I was proved wrong. I HIGHLY recommend reading Kneehigh’s “About Us” page in depth, but for those who haven’t the time, here’s the skinny:
-Kneehigh is a British theatre company based in Cornwall.
-They renovated some ancient barns and built some new one’s as their rehearsal spaces. They also rehearse their plays in site specific locations, i.e. Tristan and Yseult rehearsed in the ruin of Restormel Castle before moving to an indoor stage. They almost always rehearse in the open air before they move inside.
-Everyone in the ensemble is expected to aid in the cooking, cleaning, building, technical production, music, and lighting.
-They are dedicated to providing theatre for the community they are a part of, and seem to be some of the most conciencious, thoughtful theatre folk I’ve ever heard of. To them, the audience is not a beast to be wrangled with, but rather a friend to invite in and sit down.
-They cite the natural world as the inspiration of all their devised theatre.
Please, go and check out their website. It’s incredibly rich and interesting.
Thanks!
