PARIP 2003

NATIONAL CONFERENCE: 11-14 September

CONTRIBUTORS

HARE: ELIZABETH / MOWAT: SUSAN
drama department
edge hill college of higher education
a woman by herself

The presentation will address the following six questions. It will include extracts from the performance.

1. The question of refereeing, through the use of observers and critics at rehearsals and performances. How shall we be judged?

Extract one. The pink dress and the pink gate

Our audience judges us on the ‘quality’ of our performance and on the interest of our content. How much are these judgements questions of taste of expectation? How much does this informed audience contextualise this judgement, knowing the theories on which our work is predicated. How does the general public judge us? What part does reception theory play in our analysis of this question.

2. The question of dissemination within and beyond the academy, through a documented community workshop and public performances, use of the web publication, email correspondence and symposium. How shall we share our work and our life experiences?

Extract two; photographs, dreams and memories

Discussion of the reactions to our autobiographical material in the community workshop and in the public performances

3 The question of supporting documentation through the recording of process in several media . How will we document our work?

Extract three: the long summer

This extract will be performed live and then shown on video. Afterwards we will address questions of the value of video documentation of live performance what is lost/ gained through the mediatisation of live performance

Susan Mowat is currently based in the North West as a part-time lecturer of Drama at Edge Hill College, Ormskirk. She has recently graduated with a M.A. in Physical Theatre from Royal Holloway, University of London and her research interests include, in addition to autobiographical theatre, Ausdruckstanz, Tanztheater and music within the work of Pina Bausch. Susan is also an actress and has worked professionally in theatre.

Dr Elizabeth Hare has been Head of Drama at Edge Hill for 8 years and is about to retire from full time work in August 2003. She has been active in practice as research since 1995 and has completed 4 pieces of publicly performed work in that time. Her interests, reflected in this current project are feminist,, and in particular, lesbian theatre, and issues of autobiography and identity in performance.

Susan and Elizabeth devised and performed A woman by herself which was written and directed by Dr Helen Newall, who is a professional writer and director and also works at Edge Hill, teaching Writing and Drama

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