drama practitioners information

1. DV8
&
Push Physical
Theatre

2. DV8
Who are they?
• DV8 Theatre company was formed in 1986 and is lead by Lloyd
Newman.
• They have many different people working for them across all of their
different productions and they have 5 permanent members of the
team including the artistic director and executive producer.
• Interestingly, although their theatre company wasn’t formed until
1986 their 1st production was actually in 1985 and it was called “BEIN'
A PART, LONELY ART”. This was created when Lloyd Newman
collaborated with dancer Michelle Richecoeur.
• For Newmans second production he collaborated with Nigel
Charnock who was a performer, driector and choreographer. They
performed the duet ‘My sex our dance’ and he became both a co-
founder of the company and a principle performer with Wendy
Houstoun.

3. DV8
Lloyd Newson
• Lloyd Newson was the original creator of DV8 and still continues to
lead the company today.
• Originally, Newson studied psychology and social work at Melbourne
university. These educational interests cold link to his current
performances. During this time he found his passion for dance.
• Before he created DV8 Newman had lots of different experiences
with a range of dance and theatre companies inlcuding Modern Dance
Ensemble, Impulse Dance Theatre/New Zealand Ballet Company, One
Extra Dance Theatre and Extemporary Dance Theatre.
• During his time both choreographing a performing he was constantly
trying to combine both dance and text and experimenting with
different medias including both theatre and film.
• When Newson left Extempory Dance Theatre and created DV8 he
baffled critics, his work work was decribed as “too wordy for dance,
too dancey for theatre” it was unique.

4. DV8
• His work was different to other contemporary performances
because he disliked the abstract element of dance. Instead his
work often had political or social messages within them and
followed a narrative structure and this is how he blurred the lines
between drama and dance.
• Lloyd has received over 50 international and national rewards for
his performances and one of his latest works ‘can we talk about
this?’ has recently won the Helpmann award for best ballet or
dance. This particular show was very political it deals with
freedom of speech, censorship and covers the issue of Islamic
extremism.
• Many of his performances are a harsh take on sexuality, violence
e.g. the case of mass-murderer Dennis Nielson in Dead Dreams of
Monochrome Men” and disability and prejudice as in “The Cost
of Living”.

5. DV8What is there style?
• DV8’s performances are always very dance based they call
themselves a dance company and their aim is to challenge
the preconceptions of what dance can and should address.
• Their artist policy is about “taking risks, aesthetically and
physically, about breaking down the barriers between dance
and theatre and, above all, communicating ideas and
feelings clearly and unpretentiously. It is determined to be
radical yet accessible, and to take its work to as wide an
audience as possible.”
• Their work is very physical they use contrast to show a
message however as a company they have developed for
example the cost of living is all physical with very little words
or phrases wheres ‘Can we talk about this’ is very different it
is a lot more political it contains lots of text lots of political

6. DV8
Here are two contrasting examples of their work
THE COST OF LIVING:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NShJJr1ztkM&
safe=active
CAN WE TALK ABOUT THIS:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oWKlg-
wGjc8&safe=active

7. DV8
top girls

8. DV8
Why it fits?
These pages of text are when Marlene and Joyce are
arguing when Angie has gone to bed. They discus there past
and current living bringing up themes on class and gender
and also briefly Angies disability.
The reason I think DV8 would be an appropriate practioner
to perform this in the style of is because I know they base
there performances on sensitive and current issues e.g. ‘Can
we talk about this’ is about Islamic extremism and ‘the cost
of living’ is about disability. The way in which they cover
these issues is highly effective and they get across their
own message without forcing their view on audiences yet
the whole experience is unforgettable.

9. Push Physical Theatre
Who are they?
• “This talented group of performers inspires awe with
physical illusions and gravity-defying, dance-infused,
acrobatic high-jinx.”
• The company was founded in New York in the year 2000. It
was founded by husband and wife Darren & Heather
Stevenson who created the theatre group with the
intention to ‘push’ the boundaries of traditional theatre.
• This is similar to DV8 who are trying to break the
boundaries between drama and dance.
• As well as the two directing members of Push Theatre
there are also two company members: Jonathon Lowery
who has an extensive theatrical background combining
both new and old techniques that create his unique style.
Avi Pryntz-Nadworny has more physical training after
studying juggling & gymnastics as well as acting.

10. Push Physical Theatre
Darren & Heather Stevenson Founding Directors
• Daren and Heather were both born in England they met during
there similar studies in The Center in St. Louis, Missouri.
• They both had a found love for drama which lead to there ultimate
collaboration. As well as a primarily theatrical background they
both studied with Several Dancers Core and The Goldston &
Johnson School for Mimes at Kenyon College. Which enabled them
to gain key dance and physical training.
• As there company grew the Stevenson's started to expand and
develop it. The company were able to create an arts in education
program which they introduced into various schools. Additionally
Heather runs both summer and after school programs for younger
children (PUSH Pins) and Daren runs an Intensive adults summer
course which attracts many national and international students.
• This demonstrates there want and need to spread there company
and the love of art to all ages and abilities.

11. Push Physical Theatre
What’s it all about?
• Daren & Heathers work stems from the belief that all performers
should be able to bring there own life experiences to the stage and
include them in performance. Even though, all members have advanced
technical training Push Physical Theatre doesn’t limit themselves to
rules and techniques. They don’t hesitate to use any type of move if
they believe it will affect the audience they want the audience to feel
real emotions through there performance and they will use any means
to do so. “If the perfect method doesn’t exist, they invent it.”
• There work is often indescribable it doesn’t fit into a traditional style of
theatre like dance or drama and the company also resists being
described as physical theatre instead they argue that “the performance
itself becomes it’s own definition”.
• PUSH’s aim is to bring people together. They want there work to be
assessable to everyone however Push ‘hits hard emotionally’ there
work makes people feel real emotions, emotions that they didn’t realise
performances could make them feel. Because this is one of the primary
aims of there work, you could describe their style as expressionist
because it focuses mostly on emotions rather than physical reality.

12. Push Physical
Theatre• “The style is non-traditional, but the impact on the people
who’ve seen them puts PUSH at the heart of the essence of
theatre.”
• Push’s theatre varies dramatically, they do creative performances
and appear at fringe festivles however they also attended US
Classic Gymnastics Championship. Some of their theatre is
particularly acrobatic and others are more about the precisely in
sync yet subtle movements. It is the combination of these styles
which makes there work so effective.
• Many of PUSH’s performance advertisements such as there
upcoming performance of ‘strangers’ do not give any detail
about what the actual show is about. This is unusual yet probably
intentional as they probably want you to go to a performance
without any expectations so you can watch everything for the
first time and experience the raw emotions they want you to feel.

13. Push Physical Theatre
Some examples of there work
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8ja7Yveg
Ho
Here is a slightly longer example which shows how they use more subtle
movements to effect.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I55JdLjTW
D0
This is short video showing some of the highlights of there work that are
particularly acrobatic.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhlShytmH
Lo
This is a promotional video for their performance ‘Different Bread’.

14. Push Physical Theatre
Top Girls:

15. Push Physical Theatre
Why it fits?
• I chose this passage of text because her depiction of
hell is full of various imagery about the different
devils and what’s happening therefore I thought that
Push Physical Theatres very physical and acrobatic
style would be very appropriate and effective in
creating these ‘funny creatures’.
• Additionally I noticed that this part of the story was
quite an emotional time for Gret and I know that
Push theatre is very emotional and would be able to
convey Grets feelings in a very empathetic way.