What Are My Politics, What Are My Tastes?

Last night, I was part of a small group of directors to have the privilege to observe Clare Lizzimore in rehearsal for The House of Bernarda Alba. After watching her process and picking up a fascinating insight into approaching a classic text, Clare was kind enough to field some questions (of which we all had many more!) with regards her process, career, politics, beliefs....

What a stimulating event, something close to the most productive use of 2 and a half hours over the past few weeks. Recognising myself as a theatre maker yes, but a director importantly was wonderfully reassuring and the provocation (I am starting to use this word a lot) of "What are your Politics, What are your Tastes" by Clare has certainly stimulated internal debate.

Also, Clare mentioned how she is only able to commit to work that brings something new into this world, not necessarily "new writing" but a text that can reflect this world we create every day through performance for an audience. This has lead to Clare turning down work but always staying true to what seems a strong sense of self, of moral and social obligation.

Being able, also, to see Katie Mitchell's process used alongside that of Max Stafford Clark and the gaps and bridges that Clare filled and constructed has allowed me to define my own process. Whereas, (in response to Steve's blog http://www.soh2wl.com/page11.htm) a Manifesto for Directing is not something I am attempting quite yet, I can see myself becoming rather obsessed with this idea of Politics (something Elyssa also brings out in me) in relationship to taste.

So, to address taste first (is that easier?!) I am going to borrow from (I think) Rupert Goold and start with what I am working on now, in the near future and a future hope to be working on...

1. A Question of Everything, re draft for international script submission.
2. MA Advanced Theatre Practice Summer Project (Undefined)
3. The Taming of the Shrew / The Country / 2012 Devised Project - Diasporas travelling to London (In Development)

How does that define my taste? It doesn't perhaps but does give a sense of what I am working on / want to pursue. A more useful list?!

TASTES

Site Engaged Work
Manipulation of Physical Space
Electro Acoustic Sound Elements
Physical Performnce

Subtle Character work
Bold Visual in Support of Text
Shakespeare
Chekhov
Ibsen
Strindberg
Crimp
Churchill
Audience Immersive Experiences
Audiences - Authoring own Experience / Engagement
Laurie Anderson
Complicite
Forced Entertainment

Again, perhaps this list is arbitrary and a little un thought through at this stage but is certainly something to kick against - to refine and work out what pulls these together and separates them....

Politics - much harder and something I am wrestling with, perhaps this will be teased out over the coming weeks, how do I define myself, here in this context of the early 21st Century?!