Creative Tallis
tangledfeet at Tallis
29 June to
3 July 2009
Thomas Tallis School, Kidbrooke Park Road, London SE3 9PX
tangledfeet at Tallis 2009
Since September 2009, the Creative Tallis Action Research Group at Thomas Tallis School has been exploring a variety of ways to promote creative learning. Tallis is a national School of Creativity, a Specialist Arts College and Leading Edge School and we encourage our students to take an active role in leading learning. We created a blog to share our ideas, attended staff and leadership team meetings, wrote a Manifesto for a Creative Tallis and began to devise a project entitled "Food for Thought". The idea was to host an event on the school site that would provide the whole community with an opportunity to reflect on the value of creative learning. Eventually, after much discussion and a couple of happy accidents, we decided to invite tangled feet theatre company to take up residence in the school for a whole week. Kat Joyce, the co director of the company, had been a Tallis student and knew the school well. The company is known for its highly innovative use of physical, site specific performances and their play "Home" was touring the country and looking for alternative venues.
On the 29th June, tangled feet arrived at Tallis and began to work their magic. Prior to this, the students on the ARG had carefully planned a series of tests for any young people wishing to be part of the makeshift company of actors working the visiting artists. Twenty students from Years 7 to 13 made it through the auditions and gathered in a stifling drama studio to find out what they had let themselves in for.
The combined company, working together as equals, began to work on a series of exercises designed to encourage eberyone to use their bodies to express a range of emotions. The students learned about techniques like "flocking" and experimented with installing tents all over the school site, much to the amazement of all who saw them. Tangledfeet shared some of their work on "Home", encouraging the students to ask questions, reflect on their own associations with the idea of home and imagine how they could put these ideas into practice. After a couple of hard days work, a plan began to emerge. On the final day there would be two performances for an invited audience. The first would be a collaboration featuring the entire company of students and actors who would reinterpret the themes of "Home" using a range of strategies - a multimedia installation and performance on a little used stair well; an improvised performance on the concourse; a physical performance on the field; and a sound installation in a science laboratory. A Year 7 class would be collected from their normal lesson, divided into four groups and taken on a flight around the building, witnessing each of the performances before being treated to a picnic and discussion. On the afternoon of the final day, tangledfeet would perform "Home" on the concourse.
Both performances turned out to be incredibly brave and moving experiences for actors and audience alike. Tackling challenging themes like loss, courage, homelessness, anxiety and rejection, the Tallis students showed that they had really learned how to trsut one another and accept their individual and collective responsibilities. Each actor also had to work as a member of the backstage crew, setting up installations, photographing the process, sourcing and managing props and costumes, designing handouts and acting as ushers. The range of skills and variety of learning experiences made available throughout the week should really benefit all those who took part, professionals and students alike.
"I am REALLY proud of the work that we have all been involved in this week. What a scorcher! Together, Tallis school members and Tangled Feet have achieved, in a week, a working model that theatre companies might take months to achieve. We communicate, share ideas, and most importantly put those ideas into practice."
Fiona, actor with tangled feet
"What an amazing week! Tangled Feet came in on Monday and we did a lot of exercises and learnt a lot about physical theatre and the company and the work they do. I felt that personally I learnt quite a bit from the entire week! I learnt about event management and the things involved in setting up an installation both front and back stage. I also learnt a lot about drama and acting (something I thought I would not do again after year 9!!)
An amazing week! Thanks Tangled Feet!"
Tom, Year 13 student at Tallis
Portfolio
The week
in photos
Home
TOUR DATES
24 May 09 Wandsworth Arts Festival website
27 29 May 09 Crawley Town Centre, The Hawth website
17 - 18 June 09 Arc Arts Centre, Stockton Town Centre website
20 June 09 Paradise Garden Festival, London website
27 June 09 Exeter Festival, Northcott Theatre website
3 July 09 Thomas Tallis School
4 July 09 Winchester Hat Fair website
17 - 18 July 09 Latitude Festival website
16 August 09 London Mella website
How much of home can we take with us? Award winning theatre ensemble Tangled Feet are experimenters in physical theatre, working together as a unique performance collective to create work in new ways. The company believes in a process of complete improvisation and experimentation to devise exciting, challenging and surprising forms of theatre.
Tangled Feet are:
Directed by: Nathan Curry and Kat Joyce
Devised and performed by: Mario Christofides, Tunji Falana, Susan Hingley, John Hinton, Vala Omarsdottir,
Sara Templeman and Fiona Watson
Production / Technical manager: Luke Gledsdale
Design Assistant: Yuko Iwata
Original music by: Guy Connelly / Clock Opera website
Additional Movement Direction: Rachel Birch Lawson and Leon Smith
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