Conspiracy of Orphans (performer/deviser/maker)
“I propose a conspiracy of orphans. We exchange winks. We reject hierarchies. All hierarchies. We take the shit of the world for granted and we exchange stories about how we nevertheless get by. We are impertinent. More than half the stars in the universe are orphan-stars belonging to no constellation. And they give off more light than all the constellation stars.”
John Berger, Confabulations
In their gulag-home, Brother and Sister reel from a trauma that revisits them in fragments. It’s their birthday. They visit their parents’ grave, get their daily dose of Vitamin D, consider the exit point. A trance-like soundscape of Russian electronica, the physical comedy of Buster Keaton, and the surreal aesthetics of Magritte combine to frame this silent comedy and quiet tragedy.
Researching sign language and the physical effects of trauma, Simon Gleave and I (for Created a Monster) have sought to discover how the body speaks and how contact can be made before and beyond words. We hope this project can be used to bring communities - of different abilities, languages and histories - together through a new form of the old art of silent storytelling.
In August 2019 we took residence for an R&D at Rich Mix, Shoreditch and performed Conspiracy of Orphans on the 15th and 17th November 2019 as part of Voila! Europe Theatre Festival.
Since then we have been further researching and seeding, with help from Joyce Henderson. In 2020 we were shortlisted for Summerhall and programmed for Akropoditi festival, Greece.
In Early 2022 we were programmed as part of Vault festival, but that was also cancelled due to the pandemic. As Created a Monster became associate company at Tramshed, they offered us a residency and in March 2022 we showed a new version of Conspiracy in their temporary building in Woolwich, SE London.
Plans set in motion for the blossoming (finally) of this project in 2023.