My first column: and I am still banging on about the same things, all these years later. Sigh.
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examines hidden depths of human experience and always inspires intense debate
PUBLISHED 13 OCTOBER 2006
Physical Theatre' is notoriously difficult to define. Formerly known as 'Performance Art' or 'Live Art', and usually regarded as incomprehensible or shambolic, it encompasses everything from modern dance to monologues, juxtaposing several different media and often expecting more from the audience than a Scandinavian pantomime of 'Hamlet'.
Physical Theatre has become the category for anything that ignores tradition, experiments with genre, challenges the audience or finds new strategies to express ideas, and emotions. Sometimes it explores the concept of performance; other times, it struggles with complex concepts in a direct manner. It has the potential to amaze and enlighten - or to bore and confuse, frequently during the same show. Works can be site-specific - as in The Arches' powerful productions of Beckett - or tour more traditional spaces - the Scottish Ballet touch Physical Theatre under the direction of Ashley Page. Video, art galleries, mime, even scripts and audience participation get flung together, combining and separating to create novel, astounding experiences.
Because of its protean nature, descriptions fail to offer any clarity - previews and reviews suffer from the subjective opinions and meaning gets lost beneath jargon or pretension. Physical Theatre demands patient and frequent attendance: fortunately, the next few months provide plenty of opportunities.
Glasgow has a thriving Physical Theatre scene - perhaps due to the RSAMD, or the dynamic rivalry between the Arches and Tramway. It hosts the 'National Review of Live Arts', where atrocious solo pieces and ill-considered blends jostle against acclaimed companies and masterpieces. Tramway's annual programme brings together local and international artists, while the Arches have the award-winning artist in residence, Al Seed, who combines clowning with doom-laden imagery. Smaller venues, such as the Q! Gallery, present occasional performances and the CCA, once the pride of alternative Glasgow, has a limited season.
Following the Arches' Live! Season, Tramway sets the bar for this autumn's programme. Kicking off with Mette Ingvartsen's 'To Come' (6th-7th October), their events balance between the outre and the approachable. At the same time, Glasgay! offers a comprehensive range of happenings all around the city. In November, 'Forced Entertainment' arrive to relate the history of 'The World in Pictures'.
Physical Theatre rarely provides light or easy entertainment, but despite the difficulties, it reveals the latent power of performance. It befuddles as often as it enlightens and appeals to enthusiasts rather than casual theatre-goers. Nevertheless, it examines hidden depths of human experience and always inspires intense debate.
Physical Theatre has become the category for anything that ignores tradition, experiments with genre, challenges the audience or finds new strategies to express ideas, and emotions. Sometimes it explores the concept of performance; other times, it struggles with complex concepts in a direct manner. It has the potential to amaze and enlighten - or to bore and confuse, frequently during the same show. Works can be site-specific - as in The Arches' powerful productions of Beckett - or tour more traditional spaces - the Scottish Ballet touch Physical Theatre under the direction of Ashley Page. Video, art galleries, mime, even scripts and audience participation get flung together, combining and separating to create novel, astounding experiences.
Because of its protean nature, descriptions fail to offer any clarity - previews and reviews suffer from the subjective opinions and meaning gets lost beneath jargon or pretension. Physical Theatre demands patient and frequent attendance: fortunately, the next few months provide plenty of opportunities.
Glasgow has a thriving Physical Theatre scene - perhaps due to the RSAMD, or the dynamic rivalry between the Arches and Tramway. It hosts the 'National Review of Live Arts', where atrocious solo pieces and ill-considered blends jostle against acclaimed companies and masterpieces. Tramway's annual programme brings together local and international artists, while the Arches have the award-winning artist in residence, Al Seed, who combines clowning with doom-laden imagery. Smaller venues, such as the Q! Gallery, present occasional performances and the CCA, once the pride of alternative Glasgow, has a limited season.
Following the Arches' Live! Season, Tramway sets the bar for this autumn's programme. Kicking off with Mette Ingvartsen's 'To Come' (6th-7th October), their events balance between the outre and the approachable. At the same time, Glasgay! offers a comprehensive range of happenings all around the city. In November, 'Forced Entertainment' arrive to relate the history of 'The World in Pictures'.
Physical Theatre rarely provides light or easy entertainment, but despite the difficulties, it reveals the latent power of performance. It befuddles as often as it enlightens and appeals to enthusiasts rather than casual theatre-goers. Nevertheless, it examines hidden depths of human experience and always inspires intense debate.
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