Ensemble Not Found: On breaking the mould of contemporary UK theatre
Image credit: Kiki Ye
Spotlight on Ensemble Not Found today, a theatre collective that's been making waves since their award-winning PROJECT ATOM BOI. With two new exciting projects, LED BY THE WIND and WOO WOOLF on the horizon, we had a chat with Xiaonan Wang to dig deeper into their unique creative process.
The collective, a blend of five East Asian theatre artists, was birthed from a shared desire to disrupt the status quo. Xiaonan reflects, "We were brought together by our artistic ambition to explore new forms of theatre...using new ways of collaborating and thus provoking discussions that are relevant but not yet found in contemporary UK theatre".
Image credit: Gladys Wen
The signature fragmented structure of their performances was not an intentional brand decision, but rather a curious exploration of the dynamic between the audience and stage. "We’re pushing what live performance is," shares Xiaonan, "and be enthusiastic about what can make it more live and fresher.”
Image credit: Gladys Wen
Their eclectic blend of performance forms? This distinctive mix, says Xiaonan, reflects their lived experiences. "We live multilingually; we are migrants living in the UK and our artistic ambition is best expressed in multiple languages." They pull from various inspirations, from photography and dance to food, fostering a creative environment where they're "constantly fueled by each other's different interests."
WOO WOOLF, their newest endeavour, dives into the exploration of femininity in a patriarchal society, drawing inspiration from Virginia Woolf. When asked why Woolf, Xiaonan is passionate: "All the juicy parts of a show come from her original novel. I was thinking if that daily common [routine] is what females experience every day and spend the most time on, aren’t they worth being told?”
Image credit: Kiki Ye
The ensemble wants to leave audiences of WOO WOOLF with a "curious aftertaste, maybe thought-provoking, comfy and bouncy mood," shares Xiaonan. They hope to stir up an awareness of one's own sincere feelings in the audience.
Image credit: Kiki Ye
As for the future? Xiaonan is eager to continue exploring feminist works, and hopes to make their shows more accessible. She’s planning to organise R&D workshops under the theme of female daily lives. "This is research for the artistic work, and also a practice of my feminist work."
Image credit: Kiki Ye
Remember, WOO WOOLF will be at Camden People’s Theatre on June 9th as part of the Calm Down Dear! Festival. See you there!