Desperate Men perform Eyebrows.
Physical and Visual Theatre
Theatre is a physical and visual medium, but the play's not always the thing. There is a strand of theatre - the physical and the visual - that speaks a completely different language from the traditional well made play and spans theatre, puppetry, dance and visual arts. This work uses the language of gesture, an area of theatre that in the past was dubbed mime and thought of as entirely silent. Nowadays such pieces frequently include spoken text, but the body speaks as eloquently as the voice, and one of the great strengths of this form is that it can often mine the emotions that fall in the silences between words. Much of this work is devised not scripted, and although many of the UK companies working in this area have been influenced by European traditions, increasing numbers of young companies are developing their own distinct and excitingly high voltage styles.
Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
Desperate Men perform
Eyebrows.
How We Work What We Do Drama and Dance Publications and Resources Drama Genres Performance in Profile 2008 Education Drama Events Edinburgh Showcase What work does the British Council do in this area?
Because UK physical and visual theatre is so diverse and accessible, it has proved to be one of the most popular theatrical forms for overseas touring. With its echoes of traditional forms from all over the world combined with new experimental styles, it can engage with many different kinds of audiences. We work across all types of small to large scale visual and physical theatre depending on country demand. Our work ranges from programming the politicised performances and workshops of
Volcano Theatre Company in parts of war-torn Eastern Europe, to
Ridiculusmus performing in Malawi, to sending
Frantic Assembly, with its club-culture style and frequent collaborations with new writers, across the globe from France to Zimbabwe.
Ridiculusmus with The Exhibitionists. Credit: David Jubb, Your Imagination.
Read on to find out about how their surreal tale of four bored security guards in a modern art gallery toured to Blantyre, Zomba, Lilongwe and Mzuzu.
