Welcome to the launch of
THE BARBETTE PROJECT
Gender Performance and Queer Bodies
(working title)
Six artists gathered together for five days in one room. They were different in race, gender, sexuality, age, religion, abilities... But they all shared a passion for testing the boundaries of circus.
These artists experimented with different exercises from the open-source play: they explored objects, played with gendered movement, read reviews and interviews with Barbette, they wrote about their gender journey...
And they all worked from the same Barbette monologue - the starting point for their acts, their invisible partner.
[P.S.: If you came here with zero prior knowledge of the project, that's absolutely fine! But please go here first to get an idea of what The Barbette Project is before continuing any further.]
These artists experimented with different exercises from the open-source play: they explored objects, played with gendered movement, read reviews and interviews with Barbette, they wrote about their gender journey...
And they all worked from the same Barbette monologue - the starting point for their acts, their invisible partner.
[P.S.: If you came here with zero prior knowledge of the project, that's absolutely fine! But please go here first to get an idea of what The Barbette Project is before continuing any further.]
Please begin by watching Barbette's monologue.
How to spend your time here:
Please try not to binge-watch all six acts. Like fine wine, they should be sipped slowly and with careful attention.
Should you wish, you can always return here later and spend more time with these lovely artists.
Take your time watching the acts, listening to what the artists say with their words and with their bodies.
If you'd like, write down some thoughts. Consider how it made you feel. If, maybe, it touched you someplace familiar or unfamiliar. Where do these acts meet you?
Should you wish, you can always return here later and spend more time with these lovely artists.
Take your time watching the acts, listening to what the artists say with their words and with their bodies.
If you'd like, write down some thoughts. Consider how it made you feel. If, maybe, it touched you someplace familiar or unfamiliar. Where do these acts meet you?
THE ACTS.
Le Numéro FarrellExpression
Includes Blackness |
Le Numéro IndigoIf I choose to embrace my otherness --
nurture it inside me, wear it on my skin-- will it still matter that I’m alone? |
Le Numéro JoanaWhy do we, in society, have this urgent need of labeling?
In this piece, Joana explores the multiplicity of her identity and the expectations she has encountered in that process. |
Le Numéro SadiqI eat my feelings to regurgitate your expectations. One glance says everything. Undressing, for a moment, I feel a freedom from your binaries. I eat my shame and then continue.
*Contains partial nudity. |
Le Numéro StavWhen you close your eyes and imagine a circus artist --
What do they look like? What can their bodies do? Gender is a construct. Maybe circus is, too. |
Le Numéro TomA spoonful of salt. An open and clothed observation of the complex boundary between clothes and costume.
*Contains full nudity. |
To read, see and hear more about Barbette and "The Barbette Project", please check out the dedicated page.
CREATIVE TEAM
Project Creator: Stav Meishar
R&D Director: Natalie Verhaegen
Devising Artists, Autumn 2021: Sadiq Ali, Tom Barker, Farrell Cox, Joana Dias, Indigo Erin, Stav Meishar
Devising Artists, Autumn 2020: Trystan Chambers, Stav Meishar, Vee Smith, Natalie Verhaegen
Barbette Voiceover Actor: Brent McBeth
Videos shot, edited and directed by: Omri Dagan
R&D Director: Natalie Verhaegen
Devising Artists, Autumn 2021: Sadiq Ali, Tom Barker, Farrell Cox, Joana Dias, Indigo Erin, Stav Meishar
Devising Artists, Autumn 2020: Trystan Chambers, Stav Meishar, Vee Smith, Natalie Verhaegen
Barbette Voiceover Actor: Brent McBeth
Videos shot, edited and directed by: Omri Dagan
The Barbette Project was made possible with the support of:
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