”Engaging…stimulating and refreshing…Louise you are doing important work in the bringing together of art and science”.
Letter from Lyn Darnley, Head of Text, Voice and Artist Development, The Royal Shakespeare Company.
Last year, I was contacted by the amazing Sydney Opera House and asked to train one of their producers in Lis’n Tell in 2020, and help develop an SOH digital storytelling programme for children with learning challenges, living in remote areas of Australia. This sadly has not come about – yet, but I’ve put a lot of thought into how to convey a story, dramatically online and make it inclusive. I was fascinated to coach and mentor Dvora Liberman, while she was writer and director of the SOH interactive music theatre shows for young children and families there. It was also an honour to work with her on developing her direction of a theatre piece which was performed at The International Dreaming Festival, a celebration of indigenous art and culture.
This year I have learnt a lot by working with TV Editor William Webb, on the Fly A Hug Vimeo short, about what works on video and film – how to build and keep the dynamic of the story. BTW I didn’t know how much I would love coaching people – speech & language therapists, actors, teachers and parents and carers – online – in developing their storytelling. This has been an unexpected joy – a silver lining to the cloud of COVID.
I enjoyed very much running workshops for Peoplescape Theatre last year, on site in a special school with students with severe and complex needs at St Giles, in South London, and then at The Museum of London. I’m thrilled to be invited back to train Peoplescape further in 2021. Their work is wide ranging and includes collaborating with the excellent The Speech Bubbles Project, launched by the innovative Bubble Theatre in 2009.
In 2017 I was invited to run a workshop for Sleepless Inclusive Theatre Co. lt was fascinating to support them in developing ways they could develop to include their audience more, and a privilege to work with actors with Down Syndrome, Deafness and Autism:
Meeting the founders and directors of Sensorium Theatre was a rare delight, while they visited London in 2011. I was able to offer them some insights into their beautiful work. You can read of their experience with me in the link! Here’s a quote about what I was showing them: ‘The way to slow the words without losing focus and expression is to carry the meaning of the words through full embodiment… it felt like a light bulb moment and something to work with upon our return….She also encouraged us to think of the ritual aspects of the performance….To give a kind of gravitas and beauty to these moments.We talked about the quality of mutuality that can be achieved between performer and audience member and that this mutuality was necessary for the work to translate – that this is part of its “JAZZ nature” – improvising around deep structure’. (Lis’n Tell has been described by an SEN Teacher as like ‘Jazz- deep structure with moments of improvisation’.)
In 2009 I performed at The Brighton Fringe – a collaborative show which reached the top 5 Hitlist of Children’s performances. This taught me a huge amount about audience interaction! Lovely review: ”Stripped back to the script, with no bells and whistles, just two captivating voices, it’s a slick, likeable show, great for firing up little imaginations”.
But – my main love is art and science combined, and how to include all ages and all abilities in a story….process – not performance only…..live inclusive storytelling.