Envision Theatre Co. Background
Envision Theatre is a company devoted to theatre that is both entertaining and relevant without compromising our belief that high quality requires both. Taking each project as it comes, we thrive on the diversity of approaches and influences rather than resorting to a single social or theatrical agenda. Founded in 1996, Susannah Tresilian and Arabella Velasco decided to go against common thought that theatrical life existed in London alone. From Edinburgh and Manchester they have built, through a diverse range of productions, the foundations to explore all the varied possibilities of theatre.
Arabella, after having worked in traditional and socially aware theatre companies, in recent years has dedicated herself principally to one-woman shows, narrating different stories from Post-Natal Depression (Yellow) to Near Death Experiences (NDE). She has performed all over Britain and now, based in Tenerife, offers workshops and plays in both Spanish and English, in Tenerife and the UK.
In Manchester, Susannah initially started working with actors and crew who had graduated from the University of Manchester although the company has grown over the years to incorporate new people from across the artistic scene in the city and the region. Precious contacts have also been made with musicians and composers who now work alongside the company on our current projects. The speciality for years has been a particular strand of British Theatre: naturalism, comedy and black humour. In various productions, social themes that provoke scandal and thought would be dealt with using the disarming power of humour – the uncomfortable realization that you oughtn’t to be laughing. In the last few productions, however, the company has discovered, by making full use of the musical talents that exist within our company, the potential of associating live music with stage narrative in unconventional and unexpected ways.
Following our success with the European tour of the musical revue “I Love You, You’re Perfect, Now Change!”, from June ‘04 the company will be exploring the way words and music inform each other, by writing both simultaneously for our new play: Three Bar Solo, the story of a jazz singer - in preparation for the Edinburgh International Fringe Festival.
Recently Envision Theatre has accepted the offer to become “Theatre Company in residence” at the School of Music and Drama of the University of Manchester for a year. This will be a wonderful opportunity to consolidate our interest in the practical uses of theatre (in conjunction with the university’s renowned Applied Theatre Centre) whilst celebrating the spirit of experimentation that exists within the university environment. The links that we have developed with theatre companies abroad will enable us to also open Manchester up to the different kinds of international theatre that we so appreciate and admire. Envision Theatre has furthermore just organised and completed a festival celebrating contemporary European Theatre at the University here in Manchester, which will be repeated next year.
The future of Envision Theatre is international - the most important factor for us is to develop in the UK our own vision of British Theatre to a high quality and with a standard consistent with that of our colleagues working alongside us in the national contemporary theatre. It is only by maintaining this standard that we feel we have the authority to represent British Theatre abroad. And, as we have found our own vision appreciated abroad, so we recognize the importance of welcoming international theatre back home, embracing the opportunity of learning from each other. This exchange is so precious for us as it is, after all, the future of theatre.
David
Oakes, Press & Marketing Officer, Envision Theatre Company, marketing@envisiontheatre.co.uk
07734 931241 (t), 08452 262 721 (box office)
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