This week’s Culture Radar guest is Mary Pearson, one of the members of the dance collective at 24 Hope Street studio.
Loved: Over at 24 Hope Street, there’s a great night happening called ‘A Life (drawing class) Less Ordinary’ which is a creative art class using contemporary dance as primary inspiration. Participants observe timed dances from contemporary dancers, and are invited to use their medium of choice to create an artistic piece. It’s an exciting new collaboration between tattooer and poet Plazzybag from Fool’s Gold Tattoo, Garston and Taciturn dance.
I’ve super enjoyed seeing new solo shows emerging from great women: Rowena Gander’s ‘Woman | Women’, Dora Colquhoun’s ‘The Lodger’, and Aline Costa’s ‘In Bloom’. I especially love being involved in the process, and seeing new work develop from early stages to a strong finish.
Looking forward to: I adore ‘Strike A Pose’ cabaret / party nights, hosted by the fabulous Mooncup Theatre, which raise awareness and funds for striking workers. Great to see who’s making new work in Scratch nights at the Unity. I always want to see what EAT ME and Frightwig Theatre are up to. Also, looking forward to Teatro Pomodoro’s Christmas show, Star of Wonder.
Trivia: One new area of my work that I’m passionate about is what I’m calling ‘Somatic Dramaturgy’. This brings together my experience as an outside eye and maker with Somatic Experiencing®, to create a framework of trauma-informed support for artists creating work from difficult lived experience. I love working with people who have decided that care is a priority!