Rotozaza have quietly established themselves as one of the UK's most consistently surprising and exciting performance groups. The company formed eleven years ago, with two aims: to identify and celebrate what can only be done live, and to foster international links through an exciting practice which isn't afraid to operate in foreign languages and cultures. Their recent, and highly successful, work has concentrated on the innovative use of simple technology to create intimate theatrical experiences in a public setting.
Etiquette
Etiquette is a half-hour experience for two people in a public space. There is no-one watching - other people are not aware of it. You wear headphones which tell you what to say to each other, or to use one of the objects positioned to the side. There is a kind of magic involved - for it to work you just need to listen and respond accordingly. Etiquette is theatre at its most raw; it is live, insightful and philosophical. Etiquette is easy to tour and since 2005 it has been presented in 11 countries across the world. It is currently available in these languages: English, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Dutch, Portuguese, Slovene and Japanese (with Greek on the way).
Watch this video made by the New York Times
NoMart (working title)
Rotozaza’s new show is currently in development, but will take the same basic form as Etiquette – an intimate show for two people in a public setting. This piece positions two lone audience / performers in a supermarket. Headphones bring them together, through the cracks of consumer culture and into new perspectives, whilst allowing their exchanges to blend into a real and functioning retail space, undetected among other shoppers wearing headphones. The piece is concerned with the non-places which surround and increasingly define our lives, and what it means to interact with a stranger within a commercial setting for decidedly non-commercial reasons.
NoMart will be available
to tour from January 2009.
Five in the Morning
Five in the Morning is a theatre show with a twist, three shivering swimmers, appearing to be ‘guest performers’ awaiting instructions from a disembodied voice. However, in the strange place that is Aquaworld, all is not what it seems. Soon the audience are forced to change their perspective, and question what ‘acting’ can mean and the different kinds of performance we need - both in the theatre, and in ourselves. Five in the Morning can be translated into other languages, using a form of subtitles, which adds another intriguing level to the performance.
Artistic Directors:
Anthony Hampton
and Silvia Mercuriali
“Etiquette explores the gap between language and meaning. In creating an entirely private space in a public setting, something extraordinary happens.” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian
Rotozaza is produced and managed by ArtsAgenda
Alice Booth alice@artsagenda.co.uk
Emma Haughton emma@artsagenda.co.uk
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