Site-specific performances
Footprints creates site-specific performances that go everywhere, anywhere and are for anyone. Each project is a specific response to a selected space in order to create exciting original performances that re-imagines and animates spaces and break barriers between the audience, performer and the space.
What people say about site-specific performances
Performances have a profound on impact audiences by challenging their perspective of place, and cultural and social norms.
Each project is developed in response to a commission and is unique to the space where it is performed.
Uninhabited
A site-specific performance piece at St Martin’s Church, West Stockwell Street, Colchester. The aim was to invigorate a now redundant space as a community meeting place, remembering its past as an important focus for the community and creating a piece reflecting a new diverse local community.
Uninhabited explored the traces we leave behind, and the community both past and present. The piece started with the audience being invited into the space for a tour. As they entered, the doors closed behind them. The audience experienced the whispers and traces of those no longer there. The performance was an interactive promenade journey through this unique medieval space.
The audience interaction was gentle and encouraging, with the aim of connecting them to the space and viewing it with new eyes.
What did this involve?
- A period of research and development into the space and it’s resonances – view our gallery of Uninhabited.
- Exploring the community that surrounds the space, the uses of the space, the pattern and movement within the space and its historical usage through a process of Deep Mapping – view our gallery of Contours.
- Development work with the local community working with actors , writers, local community groups and partners.
- Taking initial drafts of written work and working further with the actors and community to refine it.
- A rehearsal period with actors, writers, and director in which the play will take further shape. This includes further improvisations and explorations of the space as needed.
- Performing for the audience and using their responses to make each show unique.
Beneath Our Feet
An exciting, interactive, site-specific promenade performance for families.
Teddy has lost her owner and is looking everywhere in an attempt to be re-united. As the audience journey with Teddy helping her in her search, they learn more about her special story and those other charactes that she meets along the way.
The original production was written for Colchester Castle Park where the audience met characters such as Marmalade Emma, Anne and Jane Taylor, Katerina, who had travelled from Poland to live in the area, a roman citizen, Sabina, and the portly Reverend Yorick Smythies, all of whom has thir own interesting stories to tell and some help to offer Teddy. The structure of this performance lends itself easily to adaptations for other heritage sites in many different places.
‘It was brilliant that my son Kenzie stayed with us and focused through the whole performance. He usually finds it hard to do this’.
Kenzie said ‘it was amazing’
Comments from audience members.
‘ It was really nice to do something interactive and to move . It was fun for the children’.
Audience member
Stars of Stowmarket
Influenced by our interviews and time with the people of Stowmarket during our Stowmarket Stories project, our unique and original site-specific production written by playwright Caroline Roberts, explores characters from Stowmarket’s past and present and weaves them into a unique production. The performance draws together the heritage of Stowmarket and it’s current inhabitants highlighting the unique and exciting spaces of Stowmarket.
“A brilliant performance and brilliantly acted. We learnt so much” Audience member
“Superb – engaging, entertaining, informative. Well done to all. Beautiful journey through time. Thank you.” Audience member
“It was really unique and I have never seen something as creative as it before. I really enjoyed it.” Audience member
If you would like us to write and perform a similar site-specific performance for your town or village please contact us.
