Unit 1: Investigating Practitioners work
To be straight with you
Biography:
The DV8 Physical Theatre, based at Artsadmin in London ,
United Kingdom, is a physically integrated dance company.
It was established officially by Lloyd Newson, Michelle
Richecoeur and Nigel Charnock in 1986. As the
choreographer and artistic director, Lloyd Newson
led the company.
Synopsis:
To Be Straight With You takes an unflinching look at the world's homophobia, faith, intolerance and inequality, motivated by the fact that same-sex marriages are still criminalised in 85 countries around the world and the death penalty is imposed in seven of them for voluntary, same-sex intercourse.
UK premiere on the 11th April 2008 at Nottingham Playhouse, Nottingham.
Run time: 90 minutes, no interval
Who was involved?:
The people who were involved in this project were many individuals who willingly participated and wanted to share their story of being mistreated aggressively and dealing with homophobic people since Mr Newson and a former BBC researcher spent over six months collecting interviews of people who were part of the LGBTQ community and were comfortable to tell their story because after all some parts of society many view the LGBTQ as a disgrace and disappointment to the rest however I completely disagree as its another form for a individual to express their true natural aesthetic persona.
Themes that have been explored?
- Religion
- Homosexuality (LGBTQ)
- Masculinity
- Society (How they view/question LGBTQ)
- Multi-ethnic
Religion is clearly seen and explored in the piece since it is a major factor influencing many people in the LGBTQ community because many religions do not support the fact that same-sex romances occur, but many have their strong beliefs and strongly influenced ideas and ways of attempting to communicate their point of view as a result of exorcisms or making the individual excessive Lloyd Newson tried to show the side of religion that affects the way people act in relation to same sex relations.
'To be straight with you' is a very touching and fragile piece of performance because it has a physical toll on many people such as the cast and Mr Newson himself since, sadly, there are still parts of society who have a negative opinion and perception of the LGBTQ community that it has evolved from verbal violence to physical assault as Mr Newson based this on the interviews he had organized. All of these extremely heart-breaking stories have helped to provide a sense of inspiration to create a piece where individuals can feel relaxed and safe to be part of the LGBTQ.
Creative process?
- “To Be Straight With You” was inspired by a British television program about gay Muslims.
- Mr. Newson interviewed the president of a gay police group, who said that "if you walk down the street with the hand of your partner, you're just as likely to get a bottle in the back of your head as before the law," considering increasingly relaxed attitudes and the introduction of civil partnerships.
- Ideas for the piece, which features a multi-ethnic cast, started to brew several years ago in the Brixton neighbourhood of London, precipitated by a gay pride parade in the early 1990s. At that time , Mr. Newson and his partner, who was Indian, participated but felt unsafe, witnessing animosity and violence from that neighbourhood that is mainly Afro-Caribbean.
- It was another struggle to try to find movement to match them. He wanted to create phrases that were stylized and abstract and yet suited the very natural texts of conversation. He said that with his dancers he tried all manner of tricks, at one point outfitting them with iPods so that they could hear the interviews as they danced.
Contextual factors that influence the practitioners’ work and creative intentions?
- The battle over gay members of the clergy in the Anglican Church.
- "Lloyd Newson concluded that the most truthful way "would be to simply use the interviewees' voices, and that meant to say their storeys and give them a voice to people from black or Asian communities, as well as white Christian communities, who had some connection with homosexuality and religion.
- He choses to use his perspective and most importantly other individuals because he felt that they should be equal and it allows the audience to view this severe of a subject which is heavily affected in the performance a opportunity to present the life challenges of becoming someone who simply loves someone of the same sex or anyone who's part of the LGBTQ community as at the end of the day we are all human and we are unique in our own ways after all being able to be different than others is simply a gift because your able to shine you own light and not needing to share with others.
Critical analysis of the practitioners’ work:
Overall , I think the performance piece 'To be Straight with you' is the most exquisite and there was strong thorough research because there is hate talking from an actor-dancer posing as a Jamaican within the first few minutes of the play, accompanied by a filmed reggae song promoting gay lynching and burning. Then follows a very preachy lecture on the global scale of homophobia, made by a mysteriously stunning giant globe unexpectedly more palatable. When the 'reader' talks of the 85 countries that criminalise homosexuality, and the seven that can enforce the death penalty, those areas of the virtual world turn blood red. The globe spins at the flick of a wrist, in a dark blur. The contrast in the memory between this seductive object and the abhorrent truth always burns.
As the play builds the mood setting, the awareness that this is not just terrible things happening far away under crazy, bad regimes shifts. It is happening here as well. From interviews carried out in British towns and cities, all the words in the show are taken verbatim. Granted, those of men and women from immigrant backgrounds, both aggressors and victims of violence, are the most frightening storeys. But the underlying message is that local religious practises often supersede the law in certain communities. Remember Hull's 15-year-old, who, after telling his Muslim parents he was gay, found himself cornered and stabbed in an alley by a family member.
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