Monday 1 August 2016

Dramaturgy in Terra Incognita: Finn Morell @ Edfringe 2016


ZOO Southside
 Aug 14-29 1.50pm

Lightning-fast, cinematic style sequences skilfully bound together with fluid, muscular movement, vivid lighting and soul-shaking soundscapes. Through ensemble movement and fragmented imagery, Temper unleash the storm which will bring about the end of days. Returning with a compelling tale of love and self-sacrifice during humanity's final moments, Terra Incognita is a follow up to 2015’s Tribe. In this new work Temper continue to develop their dynamic, multidisciplinary approach to physical theatre under the direction of Finn Morrell. 

Terra Incognita-fringe-Dramaturgy Database


What was the inspiration for this performance?
1992 Film ‘Baraka’. Without words, cameras show us the world, with an emphasis not on "where," but on "what's there." It begins with beautifully cinematic landscapes – forests, veldts, monks, ancient indigenous rituals inside the mouth of a volcano. The film then moves to destruction of nature – vivid and unsettling images of suffering and decimation of the natural land. The film stayed with me for years, and I feel that our new piece Terra Incognita addresses what needs to be said about the ground beneath our feet and the world we inhabit.

How did you go about gathering the team for it?
Most of the team for this project I have known and worked with for years at a local youth company - we are young company who are learning and developing together.

How did you become interested in making performance?
My mentor Rich Rusk (Associate Director/Gecko Theatre) guided me fluidly into the physical/devised world. I was opened up to a way of expressing that didn’t start with words, but with feeling and dreams. I worked with Rich as a performer for his company Night Light Theatre. After 3 years learning as a performer under Rich’s wing, watching him work, learning about devising, meeting amazing people touring the world with devised work, I decided that I wanted to make my own work.

Was your process typical of the way that you make a performance?
For us, no. This is the first time we have used special effects like wind and snow machines in the making of a performance. We like to nurture all creative elements equally, so it has been an exciting challenge to bind SFX into the narrative smoothly.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?
We hope that the audience will experience a highly engaging and atmospheric production, following two characters through chaotic and destroyed worlds in a visceral tale of love and self-sacrifice during humanities final moments. We want the audience to experience the scale and truth of the world we live in right now.

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?
We are using special effects like wind and snow machines to allow the audience to experience the worlds we visit in much more vivid detail. We have a ten-strong ensemble who will fill the worlds with movement and puppetry, with an original cinematic sound design with no silences.

Do you see your work within any particular tradition?
We have always wanted to and will continue striving to make work which is new and exciting, encompassing all elements to create an immersive and visceral production, which allows an audience to throw themselves into the worlds we present. Physical Theatre is always changing and evolving, and we want to be stuck in, looking for ways to innovate and surprise the tradition.



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