In November – December tutor Ian White is present at the Dutch Art Institute with guest tutor Emma Hedditch. Tanja Baudoin is also present. The group meeting on Thursday includes a guided tour of the theatre production house Generale Oost in Arnhem.

The session is led by Emma Hedditch, who has composed a short text, outlining some points of focus for the students:

“What Happens Now? – Let’s think about the situation we are in as the stage, where we discuss the stage and how it feels to be both on it and watching what is on it, whilst being both on it and watching what is on it. The stage can be a very physical or psychological thing that is a site of attention, power and unity and in this way we could take this meeting as an experience of a stage that we step in and out of and onto.

In advance I would like you to read Gertrude Stein’s lecture Plays as one starting point of many for thinking about how we experience theatre, performance and plays. In the first part of the lecture I Think Stein focuses on her experience of seeing plays and then trying to write them. In the second part she tries to analyse some of the constructs of theatre and plays and how this compares to how we have everyday experiences.

For this first meeting with me we will each have a chance to articulate our experiences of theatres, plays and performances, so I would ask that you think about this a little in advance. We will use the space and each other to try to help with these articulations, to take the stage as it were. And we will also take our daily experience and knowledge of each other as influencing the way we understand these articulations."

Read more about practice-theatre here