five tableaux for five musicians

devised theatre
April-June 2012; variable duration

Premiere: James Whittle and The Assembled, University of York recital, 18th June 2012

This work is intended to be devised collaboratively by performers in rehearsal.

The following programme note was written for the first performance.

“This performance was devised through identifying and exploring similarities and differences between our instruments and the nature of the physical characters that could be created or intrinsic. As five games and characters developed their identities, we began sculpting specific actions to see and/or hear. Now there are five tableaux, linked through a narrative told through focused sonic improvisation. In rehearsal conversations, words such as ‘individual’ were used, and ‘identity’, ‘collective’, ‘assertion’, ‘confidence’. There are no words spoken here.”