DRAGONS​


​Dragons is a theatre research project exploring the theme of fear in and around Europe.  Théâtre Senza will be travelling to Tunis and Saint Denis,  to collaborate with local artists on what fear means and how it is experienced in these contexts. Our final aim is to develop a performance out of this multi-sited research and creative process.

Tunis Residency: 12th - 25th February 2017 

​In February 2017 we embarked on our residency in Tunis (Tunisia) where we worked with theatre makers, video & sound artists and architects. Taking movement and a study of the body’s reactions to fear as our starting point, we enquired into spaces of fear in the city to ultimately tackle how this contagious feeling is used at the political level. At the end of our residency we  showcased our findings in the public realm. We documented our process through a blog that  continues to act as a creative log for all participants and which will serve as a network base for the evolution of the project.

St Denis Residency:  12th- 21st June 2017

June 2017 sees the second stage of the Dragons project with a 10 day residency in St Denis, France. We will continue our research on experiences of fear as they have been lived in specific places and as always, will begin our research with considerations of the body's reactions in specific spaces. We will examine the many links and similarities between Tunis and St Denis, as well as the aspects of their characters that make them unique. We will continue to develop our unique method of creative anthropology and the effective role theatre can play in the gathering, digestion and expression of anthropological research and will continue to move forward in finding new and innovative ways of expressing our findings and will keep everyone up to date with the Senza blog. 
Both the Tunis and St Denis residencies will allow us to establish on-going links with artists, festivals and venues in each location. Participants coming from different disciplines will share and encounter new ideas, techniques and skills. Théâtre Senza will introduce the collective to their Lecoq and anthropology inspired methodology for devising theatre from fieldwork and will learn from the skill and expertise brought by those we work with. Our work will conclude with free events in the public space. This travel will also launch a more long-term project of theatrical research and the development of  various expressions of our findings including a performance that will be toured widely . An important part of the larger project will be to put the people we collaborate with in each city in contact with one another, thus encouraging a network of artists creatively engaging with the theme of fear. A blog will document our process and research findings and will feed into articles, exhibitions, events, and symposiums that company members and participants will initiate in their home countries.