John Britton has directed innumerable productions since starting directing South Leeds Youth Theatre in 1988. He has directed script and non-script, devised work, musical theatre and sound-art, performance with/by/for children & young people, physical and dance performance, structured improvisation, site-specific work, ensemble, small group and solo shows, multi-lingual & non-verbal performance, interdisciplinary and hybrid shows, circus, educational work and much else….
Though the work is diverse, there are common features:
All the work is based in the body – though often conceptually rich, it is driven by the live, charismatic presence of the performer with her/his audience.
His concern is with the physical experience of an audience – he wants an audience to experience a show first in the gut, second in the mind.
He is concerned with rigorous detail and deep craft.
Performance, however serious, is always playful.
Performance, however playful, is always magical.
He explores meetings – of performance styles, of cultures, of individuals, with audiences, with environments and architectures.
Performance makes temporary community. We meet, share, leave.
Making performance is a political action. We need to own our politics.
Directing highlights have included:
‘Grace’; Judith Wright Centre, Brisbane & Edinburgh Fringe Festival
‘A Ridiculous Dream’: The DUENDE School of Ensemble Physical Theatre, Athens.
‘7 Petticoats’; Judita Vivas, Canterbury
‘Please Body Follow’: Kristine Oma, Bergen & Oslo
‘The Little Sweep’; (Benjamin Britten), OzOpera, Melbourne
‘Macbeth in the Mountains’: Zorba The Buddha, Delhi
‘Jerk’: Perth, Brisbane, Brighton, Canterbury, Liverpool
‘Pulsar’: Athens and Touring
‘Frankenstein’ , ‘Re:Occupation’ & ‘1984’: DUENDE @ Huddersfield University
‘The Shattering Man’ (DUENDE): Huddersfield
‘Life Stories’: Padatik Theatre, Kolkata
‘Echo Chamber’ (DUENDE): Huddersfield, Leeds, Bradford, Athens, Thessaloniki, Melbourne, Bangalore, Chania
‘The Shipwrecked Sailor’ & ‘Acts of Resistance’: MA Student Productions Huddersfield University.
‘A Ridiculous Dream’: The DUENDE School of Ensemble Physical Theatre: Athens.
John is currently working on a number of new productions:
‘Solo’: (DUENDE) a collaboration with Deborah Templeton, Monty Adkins and Penny Cunningham which he will both direct and perform. Developing 2016, performing 2017
‘Recinto’ (With Emma Serjeant Performance) – a new, medium-scale work of Circus-Theatre due in 2018
‘Veil’ – A new production exploring trauma and survival, premiering in Seattle in 2017
He is always interested in new ideas, new possibilities, new collaborations.
Contact John if you’d like to talk.
Ensemble Physical Theatre - John Britton 