Convener:
Simon Day
Participants: Tom Ross-Williams, Dan Barnard,
Velentine Teferie (?), Rachel Briscoe, Fran Hyde, Sarah Pinshon (?), Ed
Jaspers, Hannah Myers, Lucy Neal, Matt Ball, Tom Brocklehurst, Jacqueline
Coombe (?) plus others.
Summary of discussion, conclusions and/or
recommendations:
Summary
A few of us who'd been in Newcastle and had an inspiring,
frightening and confusing time in equal measure, passed on some thoughts:
l Go
next year. It felt like an important event attended by some fascinating people.
l Scientists
are more into us than we might think. Felt a genuine enthusiasm for the
potential of what we can do in collaboration with them and the meeting places
between disciplines.
l ACE
are responding to the issue, with sustainability agenda affecting NPO's soon,
and expected to affect GFTA's within a few years.
l If
some of the climate scientists are right (the ones who think we're in trouble)
we really ARE in trouble, and something's got to change about the way we are
living.
MAIN DISCUSSIONS
“Tell it slant...”
Generally agreed that no one wants shit plays telling us to
fly less, or to turn the lights off. A Dickinson line quoted at Tipping Point
by Jay Griffiths says it well: “Tell the truth, but tell it slant”.
Consciousness raising of climate change as a backdrop, if not the centre, of a
dramatic fiction was put forward as well - specific example of a forthcoming
Pamela Carter play was given, where a family melodrama is played out against a
literally rising water-level onstage.
Visions of future and creatve process
Efficacy of culture in affecting behavioral change led to
suggestion that to imagine a future, to imagine change is a prerequisite to
realising it. Preeminence of dystopian visions of future in popular culture
recognised, and it was wondered what role we might have as makers in working
against this.
Form as vehicle (or barrier) of engagement
John Fox's (Welfare State / Dead Good Guys) moving and
erudite speech at Tipping Point was paraphrased, initiating discussion about
whether form of theatre itself should be questioned. Is creating and sharing
participatory work, by it's process, better able to engage people effectively
with the issue and bring about change? SW based Kilter were mentioned as
exemplars of this approach. A counter point to any fundamentalist answer to
this was well put: surely there's a place as well for a well crafted
intelligent 'traditional' play that can make you reflect on an issue – the role
of any/all cultural forms shouldn't necessarily be discounted through
simplistic division of passive vs. active audience role.
READING LIST
Robert H Frank – Darwin Economy
Rupert Sheldrake – The Science Delusion
Hopkins – Transition Companion
ACTION
Re. ACE's sustainability agenda, a response was discussed to
likely affect for 'smaller fish' through GFA programme in future. Amongst some,
a willingness is there to own or to initiate a dialogue before restrictions,
requirements, criteria etc. are imposed, and ACE representatives in Newcastle
indeed did seem to invite this. Desire seemed to be there as well to resist
entirely instrumental action, to perhaps keep responding with the heart as well
as the head to this issue.
So....
Between Rachel Briscoe and Simon Day, a follow up meeting
will be arranged to be held within one month. We'll publicise this through all
channels we can, and in the meantime, please email us via Improbable if you
want to be involved. Simon will also annouce this through Tipping Point
somehow. Focus will be on two things: to sort out our approach to ACE on this,
and also to continue more general dialogue about how our creative practice
itself can be seen as a rehearsal for a positive futur
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