shambles is a new series of music-theatre works I have begun making.
Each shamble is for a solo musician and their instrument.
shambles are devised in collaboration with performers, with my role as director/composer. The aim is to explore the physical absurdity of musical performance, and see how that absurdity manifests in sound.
Toolkit scores will be made for each shamble. Each score will feature modules detailing physical and aural gestures, from which a performance can be devised by the performer in any way they choose. This could be done individually or in collaboration with a composer/director/choreographer.
Multiple shambles can (and will) be combined, as in this film of the first scratch performance in Leeds at Gracefool Collective‘s ‘A Cause for Celebration’ event.
shamble 1 for cellist: James Whittle
shamble 2 for flautist: Rowena Jacobs
Scratch performance, 9th November 2013, Leeds
Here are some choice snaps from that performance (thanks to Champion Up North).
More shambles will follow…
*update!*
Champion Up North have published an online review of Gracefool Collective’s ‘A Cause for Celebration’ event. Izzy Brittain writes,
I even saw something, the nature of which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before, Shambles by James Whittle and Rowena Jacobs. Music-theatre. What the hell is that? I didn’t know either, but I’ve always loved watching the body language of musicians – and in this case, the body language became the performance.
Follow Champion Up North on Facebook for more arts news in and around Leeds.