Site Specific (10) - Research into different companies

Grid Iron Theatre Company:   They are an Edinburgh-based company that specialise in site-specific performances, but do performances for theatres too. Previous productions include "Roam" at BAA Edinburgh International Airport in 2006 and "Once Upon A Dragon" performed outside in Cammo Estate in 2007. The company incorporated in 1995. Their first production full-scale production was of "The Bloody Chambers" which they performed in the underground vaults beneath Edinburgh's historical Royal Mile (which are famous for being haunted). The image on the right shows some pictures from their production and what the press said about it - the parts in capitals are the parts that the press said about the location. The Herald liked the use of close proximity, making the performance more immersive. The Independent implies that the "haunting venue" helps make the production so chilling - perhaps if this performance was performed in a hall, for example, the production would not have the same impressive effect on the audience, which raises the question, how important is the venue choice to the overall production? The Guardian commented on their use of tour guide. I really liked the idea of having someone not involved in the actual performance itself, but specifically cast to be a tour guide as it helps create atmosphere. However, due to us having a smaller cast, we would be unable to do this, so will have to work out how we can get our audience to travel from room to room with us. We shall work this out when we start doing full-runs of our version of the play.


Talking Birds:   Since 1992, the Coventry-based theatre company performing both nationally and internationally. They like to perform in places that the public don't normally get to go - often interesting places that are of risk of being forgotten about or are between uses. Previous work includes "Three Doctors" at the Coventry & Warwickshire Hospital to mark its closing and "Wanderlust", which was their own devised performance at the South Bay Underground Car Park in Scarborough.

Wilson + Wilson:   This company was set up in 1997 and is regularly funded by Arts Council England, Yorkshire. They do their performances to smaller audiences for artistic reasons - making their performances more intimate and immersive for audience members. Their previous work includes "News From the Seventh Floor",  which was performed at Clements (one of the country's oldest department stores) after hours, and "Mapping the Edge" through the streets of Sheffield. I like the idea of having a smaller audience, especially for our version of "The Crucible", as we are wanting to do a promenade performance, taking our audience from room to room with us.


Installation art:   "Installation art is an artistic genre of three-dimensional works that often are site-specific and designed to transform the perception of a space. Generally, the term is applied to interior spaces, whereas exterior interventions are often called public art, land art or intervention art; however, the boundaries between these terms overlap." - Wikipedia.

Site-specific:   "Site-specific art is artwork created to exist in a certain place. Typically, the artist takes the location into account while planning and creating the artwork" - Wikipedia.

The definitions above of instillation art and site-specific art can be applied to theatre. The main difference is one is for any location to transform the space, whilst the other is designed for a certain location.

A physical space informs and suggests a performance piece by the size of the venue, the age of the venue, the capacity of audience the venue can hold and the style of venue.