PLAY²
We couldn't come together in a room
So our Deaf and hearing artists met in a digital space instead
There were a few rules:
No speech or sign language
Use the written prompts if you want to
Respond to each other
Improvise. Create. Play.
Between March and August 2020 during the Coronavirus lockdown in the United Kingdom, we searched for a way to connect and capture this moment in time that we have been living through.
In The DH Ensemble rehearsal room, we use a unique mix of long form improvisation, Viewpoints (credit to Anne Bogart and SITI Company) and play theory, adapted to be accessible to Deaf and hearing artists. We decided to experiment with how this might work in a digital space.
We created a series of three 40 minute improvisations, each with different artists. Edited videos (10-15 minutes long) of these digital interactions will be released weekly in October. They are snapshots of life - at times creative, silly, childlike, poignant, soul searching, self examining, surprise-filled and always brimming with hope and the knowledge that life goes on despite the odds.
VIDEO ONE
Features The DH Ensemble lead artists Stephen Collins, Erin Siobhan Hutching & Sophie Stone. Facilitated by Jennifer K. Bates.
Video edited by David Monteith-Hodge
VIDEO TWO
Features The DH Ensemble lead artists Stephen Collins, Erin Siobhan Hutching & Sophie Stone along with regular collaborators Nadia Nadarajah, Oliver Alvin-Wilson, Nadeem Islam and Brian Ferguson. Facilitated by Jennifer K. Bates.
Video edited by David Monteith-Hodge
CHECK BACK FOR VIDEO THREE - RELEASED THURSDAY 22ND OCTOBER 12PM HERE & ON THE DH ENSEMBLE YOUTUBE CHANNEL
Features The DH Ensemble lead artist Stephen Collins along with artists who have collaborated with us in a non-performance capacity - Brian Duffy, Lindsey Snyder, Ben Spiller, Jean St Clair and Bea Webster. Facilitated by Jennifer K. Bates.
Video edited by David Monteith-Hodge