LIVE 11 Application
Name of piece: Coming Out Of My Cage (And I’ve Been Doing Just Fine)
Number of performers: 2
Expected running time: 20 minutes
One-line summary: Mr Brightside hasn’t left the UK singles chart for 14 years. How did it end up like this? It was only a hit, it was only a hit.
Student/Graduate company: Yes
Max 250 words about the artist/company: what do you do and why; what work you’ve made, with whom & where:
We create participatory and playful shows to engage those who feel that theatre isn’t for them and offer unique experiences to those that do. We empower audiences to break rules and stretch the boundaries of theatrical form - whilst giving them an unashamedly fun and entertaining night out in the process.
Using clowning and DIY tech to explore big, complex ideas through a pop culture microscope, we encourage our audience to take risks as they co-create each performance with us. Not only is each show different to the last, but the decisions they make in one show will alter the shape of the next - the audience truly leaves a footprint on our work.
Our previous work has included An Abundance of Tims (Bread & Roses Theatre, Tristan Bates Theatre, King’s Head Theatre, Edinburgh Fringe) and Coming Out Of My Cage (And I’ve Been Doing Just Fine) which was presented at Pleasance Scratch in March 2019.
Our rehearsals are open for anyone to engage with. Every script draft, meeting note and bad idea is documented to view on our website - giving unparalleled access to our company unlike any other. Find out more at: www.shepardtonetheatre.com
Max 300 words about the performance you’d like to bring to Live 11:
Mr Brightside hasn’t left the UK charts in 14 years. How did it end up like this? It was only a hit, it was only a hit. Through the medium of karaoke we work with the audience to answer the question: what must you do today to be remembered?
The Killers made their career-defining hit ‘Mr Brightside’ in 20 minutes. Now, we want to do the same. Using a single microphone and a projector displaying karaoke lyrics, two performers will work with the audience to create the greatest piece of art ever in 20 minutes. A mix of interaction, clowning and documentary - each night a different audience works to create a legacy.
This show is in an early stage of development - and we would like to present the first 20 minutes of the performance. We want to explore how we invite our audience to join in, and how, with each interaction, we can gradually ask more from them as the piece develops. We want to make sure these interactions aren’t simply tokenistic, but rather are crucial to giving our audience agency.
Exposing the show to an audience at this stage will allow us to develop it with a more confident idea of how our audience may respond - offering us something we can’t discover in a rehearsal room with our mates. Having attended scratch nights before and given honest and unbiased feedback ourselves, we would like to be on the receiving end with this brand new show, which simply can’t happen without an audience.