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What we do
Our working process
The company writer and director work in close partnership and meet once a week in the interim periods between productions to ensure a smooth transition between projects. During these meetings we discuss possible future projects as well as ongoing administration issues. New ideas for potential sites are suggested and visited, and on occasion we watch other performances to see the work of possible future collaborators or meet with them to discuss ideas and look through their portfolio of work.
Following our visits and research into potential new sites, initial contact is made and often a written proposal is constructed. Because all of Para-Site’s work is created for the specific space, we cannot describe proposed projects in detail, so we often outline a general theme or idea that we have for the venue and how we would like to explore it further with other artists, the time needed to create the work and the overall cost of the project.
Previous proposals include an international exchange programme with The Mousonturm in Frankfurt, which would lead to simultaneous performances in England and Germany linked by live technological media. Up Your Alley, planned for Brixton Art Gallery in March 2006 was also a proposal that unfortunately never made it to performance due to unexpected financial problems at the venue, however this process is still an essential part of the final work’s creation as it is these initial ideas which are first handed to the performers in the rehearsal room when practical work begins.
Improvisation always follows research and discussion in collaboration with the performers and on occasion, with a dramaturge. We often like to collect images, articles and photographs to inspire creative thinking in preparation for improvisation. Then, when this does begin, it is often photographed to record our progress and used to reanalyse our work at a later date.
Our aim is to create accessible, enjoyable and inspirational performances, which explore each site both architecturally and thematically. We like to focus on telling stories through our work, which relate to recognisable human experiences, even if the techniques used to do this change from space to space. Essentially we want to prove that theatre, dance and performance art can take place anywhere and invite our audience to experience a new world inspired by their surroundings.
Following our visits and research into potential new sites, initial contact is made and often a written proposal is constructed. Because all of Para-Site’s work is created for the specific space, we cannot describe proposed projects in detail, so we often outline a general theme or idea that we have for the venue and how we would like to explore it further with other artists, the time needed to create the work and the overall cost of the project.
Previous proposals include an international exchange programme with The Mousonturm in Frankfurt, which would lead to simultaneous performances in England and Germany linked by live technological media. Up Your Alley, planned for Brixton Art Gallery in March 2006 was also a proposal that unfortunately never made it to performance due to unexpected financial problems at the venue, however this process is still an essential part of the final work’s creation as it is these initial ideas which are first handed to the performers in the rehearsal room when practical work begins.
Improvisation always follows research and discussion in collaboration with the performers and on occasion, with a dramaturge. We often like to collect images, articles and photographs to inspire creative thinking in preparation for improvisation. Then, when this does begin, it is often photographed to record our progress and used to reanalyse our work at a later date.
Our aim is to create accessible, enjoyable and inspirational performances, which explore each site both architecturally and thematically. We like to focus on telling stories through our work, which relate to recognisable human experiences, even if the techniques used to do this change from space to space. Essentially we want to prove that theatre, dance and performance art can take place anywhere and invite our audience to experience a new world inspired by their surroundings.
