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This year’s Tobacco Factory Theatre / Theatre Bristol SITE Residency was awarded to innovative and prolific Bristol-based theatre-makers Holly Stoppit and Sarah Fielding, who have collaborated together within the Invisible Circus.

The ideaHolly and Sarah will spend their residency exploring an idea for a brand new intimate, participatory, site-specific performance for small audiences.  Behind Closed Doors builds upon the growing tradition of interactive, promenade performance in the UK. Holly and Sarah want to push the boundaries of the form with their new show by offering each audience member a unique and profound experience.

The residency will provide them with the opportunity to research heroes and the hero’s journey, using the Greek Myth of Theseus and the Minotaur as a starting point - specifically Theseus’ journey through danger, negotiating the Six Entrances of the Underworld, where he encounters various bloodthirsty bandits, including Sinis the ripper, who ties his victims to two pine trees, bending them down to the ground then releasing them with horrific human-spitting consequences. Sarah says:
“We have just had a great week looking at the hero’s quest in Greek myths, fairy tales, in our own lives and in the newspapers. We have battled with monsters, and looked at the call to adventure, what makes people into heroes, and what you need to take with you on that journey.” 

Holly and Sarah will delve into the metaphors contained within this myth and other heros’ quests, investigating the tasks we have to undergo to become all we can be. They will work with a range of local theatre practitioners and experts to explore different ways of theatricalizing the quest and tasks, using a variety of design, performance and sensory engagement techniques, including purpose-built set, sound effects, light, film projections, live music, smells and live performance. The residency will give Holly and Sarah the opportunity to really test and develop the mechanics of interactive performance, working with audiences along the way,  so that they find the best way to tell the story they want to tell and create the unique audience experience they’re after.

The locationHolly and Sarah have been inspired by a set of eight identical police cells under the disused Bridewell Police Station, and the project is supported by Artspace-Lifespace, who are currently managing The Island as artist studios. Whilst they will be resident at the Tobacco Factory Theatre and associated spaces, Holly and Sarah will be spending time at and running workshops in the Bridewell cells to tap into their unique atmosphere.
Sarah says:
“By the end of this next week we hope to have refined an overarching narrative to give context to the installations and we are going to spend some time in the cells with some devisers to explore the space and how it relates to the content.”

The process
As part of their residency, Holly and Sarah will be exploring and developing their devising process, opening up their process to more exploratory, boundary-pushing creative risk-taking, so that their work becomes deeper, richer and more meaningful for audiences. They will be supported in this by director and mentor Amy Rose.

“It’s really great to have the time and space to develop ideas and dream around them – it feels like a real luxury.”

About the artists
Sarah Fielding is a performer, writer, deviser, director, producer and musician. She has played an integral role in all the Invisible Circus’ productions and events from The Road to Nowhere at the Audi Garage (2006) to most recently being co-Creative Director for Carnyville (2010). She recently directed Doug Francis in The Invisible Journey and is currently singing and making music with The CarnyVillains.

Holly Stoppit is a director, teacher, facilitator, performer, musician and producer. Co-founder / Co-Artistic Director of Ramshacklicious Street Theatre Company and a freelance director, Holly specialises in interactive / street / site-specific theatre. Recent productions include Carnyville as creative consultant and character director, “10 Ways To Die On Stage” and “The Middle Bit” performed by Ed Rapley. She is currently studying part time for an MA in Dramatherapy.

About SITE
This is the second incarnation of the Tobacco Factory Theatre and Theatre Bristol’s SITE residency programme. SITE stands for Space Ideas Time and Expertise and offers a bespoke residency to support mid-career artists in the development of a new show or idea for a show. Find out more here.

Holly and Sarah begin their residency this month, and will be spending five days before Christmas working on the first phase of their idea. In the New Year they will embark on the second phase of the residency, when there will be opportunities to engage with audiences on the development of their ideas and the mechanics of the performance. Watch this space!