BRITISH EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE VISITING SOFIA

BRITISH EXPERIMENTAL THEATRE VISITING SOFIA

Dr. Ksenia Kisselincheva

 

Thanks to the cooperation of the British Council, the vanguard Claude Ensemble performed in Sofia on June 11^th with one of its most successful shows, called “Greed”. The audience enjoyed every moment of it and responded in a sensitive and appreciative manner. The production combined in a subtle, emotionally intense way live music with striking visual techniques, breaking through the limitations of traditional genres. The company was set up by director Suzy Wilson and composer Paul Clark and made its start on the fringe of the Edinburgh Festival nine years ago. So far they have done over seven productions, performed on many prestigious stages like Purcell Hall, the Royal opera, The Victoria and Albert Museum and La Mamma in New York. The ensemble has also won the acclaim of both audience and critics at a number of international festivals like The British Festival of Visual Art, Performance Studies International 2000 in Arizona etc. It mounts its productions thanks to the sponsorship of the Battersea Art Centre and the Royal National Theatre. Among its more significant achievement are “The Feast During the Plague”, “Metamorphoses”, “The Silver Swan” and “Greed”.

 

Here is what director Suzy Wilson shared for the Spot On magazine: “This show developed slowly over a year and it is the most narrative of all our pieces. But it has got the main principles of all our work - live music, visual theatre and dancing. The story is told in a tragicomic vein and is greatly inspired by the silent movies of Chaplin and Buster Keaton. We have been touring Sri Lanka, Ireland, Bulgaria and then we go back to the Battersea Art Centre in London. It could be defined as Off West End in terms of experimental theatre.

 

“Where are you going next?”

“Next on the map is Thailand.”

“Which are the main influences, shaping your innovative style of expression?”

 

“One of the strongest influences is the physical theatre of Jacques le Coq. The philosophy that everything moves and the body carries meaning beyond words. Especially, when combined with the suggestiveness of music, whether classical or pop. I love the Bulgarian “Mysterious Voices” as well as Bartok and Stravinsky. I have also been influenced by sculpture, photography and the theatre of Pina Balsh …”

 

“Greed” is performed by two actors – Sarah Cameron and Marcello Magney. I met them backstage and they were still tense and thrilled by the electricity between them and the spectators. It is curious that Sarah was first trained as a sculptor and then studied with Jacques le Coq in Paris. She was particular about making certain clarifications about their unusual style. “What we do is not strictly miming, we shift scenes and objects in fluid continuity.” Actually, Sarah has done a wide specter of work. She has worked for a long time with the Young Vic Company where she starred in “Twelfth Night”. She played Adriana in “Comedy of Errors”, staged by the Royal Shakespeare Company. Apart from this, she tried her hand in installation performances, TV and film.

 

“What was the most difficult bit in preparing this show?”

 

“The technique of being very precise with the music. You have to discover what action will go with what music. It’s quite intense and takes a long time.”

 

“What are your immediate future projects?”

 

“When I get back from Thailand I would like to do my own piece of  performance art.”

 

“Do you prefer team or individual work?”

 

“Both. For the last 13 years I have been a performer with companies. We learnt a lot from each other. We were like family, arguing and laughing, while doing the hard work.”

 

The other performer in the show is Marcello Magney who is co‑founder the Theatre de Complicite company in London. After having a two year training with le Coq, he has been dedicated to their work day and night for ten years. In 1992-1993 he decided to try the world outside. He did roles at the Globe and The National Theatre. “It was quite challenging to work for the Claude Ensemble. What we do is not strictly pantomime. There you have to finish the action, while we pick up and drop objects, they appear and then disappear in a fluid continuity. It is more suggestive than pantomime, leaves greater scope to the imagination of the spectator. So, we try to follow a thin line where miming overlaps into dancing and bits of realistic acting.”

 

“What is your next project?”

 

“To go to Tokyo and do the English version of a play, called “Red Daemon”, which has a Japanese and Thai version as well. Also, I hope to bring round the world a one-man show about Arlequino who in my interpretation is not so mannered but is rather simple and down-to-earth.”

 

This was a memorable theatrical event which broadened the sensibility of our audience and made it part of the best in visual theatre.                  

SpotOn Magazine, 2005