A University of Exeter Professor and dramatist are returning to campus to perform in a renowned performance.
University of Exeter Professor and dramatist return to campus to perform in renowned performance
A University of Exeter Professor and dramatist are returning to campus to perform in a renowned performance which is coming to the city after touring the world.
Told by the Wind was created in a former milking parlour in rural West Wales by the Llanarth Group and has been praised by audiences and critics on many continents.
It was co-created by a team of artists, including internationally-known UK-based playwright Kaite O’Reilly (2010 winner of the Ted Hughes Award for New Works of Poetry), performer/director/Emeritus Professor Phillip Zarrilli, who is Artistic Director of the Llanarth Group, and dancer and interdisciplinary artist Jo Shapland. They all have long-term associations with Exeter and the University of Exeter’s Drama Department.
Told by the Wind is told in ‘multiple time spaces’ with minimal text, movement, and choreography. It features two figures (performed by Zarrilli and Shapland) who never physically meet. This unique performance is inspired by Japanese noh drama and aesthetic principles, as well as contemporary cosmology, astrophysics, and the notion of ‘parallel universes’.
THE GUARDIAN **** review described Told by the Wind as “…hypotic…a haunting, painterly beauty…[with] the astringent purity of a haiku poem…intense meditation in movement…the performers have a remarkable presence…”
Professor Zarrilli, who is Emeritus Professor of Performance Practice, said: “It’s wonderful to bring the performance back to the UK, where we originated and premiered TOLD, and to share this work in Exeter where all three co-creators have strong ties.”
Ms O’Reilly said: ““It’s an unusual piece, unlike anything many audience members have experienced before. It uses Quietude – slow theatre, for a fast world. Critics and audiences alike have commented on how mesmeric and beautiful it is.”
Told by the Wind will be shown at the Exeter Northcott Theatre on Monday, 17 October at 7:30pm. You can follow the show on Twitter through @kaiteoreilly.
Date: 28 September 2016