Emma Rice’s production of 946 the amazing story of Adolphus tips “Image One” with Kneehigh Theatre (Rice, 2016) was the first time I witnessed controlled chaos on stage. I was a working class, sixteen year old Northerner and for the first time theatre felt like a spiritual container that was shaking from the core. The production radiated playfulness, care and love. Performances ranged from small to loud, embodied to puppetry but always stayed rooted in serving the story and elevating the audience to staying connected.

This is how I view the possibilities of collaboration; it is a number of spirits connected to a realm that they are contained in, always looking to contribute their authentic skills to the collective and piece they are making. This however isn’t something I should compare and try to measure to but rather be influenced and inspired by.

Upon reflection, I wish that I had focused on second part of Emma’s quote more when training as an actor, I could have allowed myself to not feel under pressure to get everything correct in my training environment the first-time round. However, as a result I feel I am able to understand and communicate well with performers when in the role of Artistic Direction.

As a director, “Image Two” writer and actor I have a skillset in devising, and experience working with young companies, artist development projects, being a mentor, dementia friendly work and projects with performers with learning disabilities and/or autism. This has led me be an experienced and confident facilitator.

The reason I connect deeply with live performance and working as a director is because I am incredibly passionate and driven about creating work that enriches and challenges audiences, creating playful, supportive, encouraging and creatively nourishing environments.

I have found comfort and solace in unlocking playfulness through the whole notion of “what play can be” (Lecoq, Jaques.1956)

“To have fun with something invites invention and gives us even more licence to do what we will. The sensation of playing is empowering and liberating” (Wright, J. 2006, p 28)

Establishing myself as a director –

As a recently diagnosed neurodivergent artist there are times when though my peers would reassure me I clearly articulate my artistry I feel uncertain due to a previous lack of confidence. I have built a toolkit and access rider “Document One” to articulate what I need in order to make by best work and what I need for my peers to be mindful of and use this in spaces when necessary.

Having worked as an assistant director “Image Three” every space differs and therefore determines how involved I am in the creative process (e.g responsible for research, pastoral care, look after understudy company, young company or community casts) Whereas a director “Image Four” I have the responsibility to think about how I navigate my directing style, am I collaborator or a leader? What is my role in this instance?

I felt responsible to build a community in this instant and make an offer for my peers to either reject or build upon (I’m not precious when it comes to ideas) I offered that we could create a Coat of arms. The group selected this idea and began sectioning the shield into a moment from each peer’s significant text that was memorable to everyone else in our group “Image five” This experience reflected the “family pattern” of creative collaboration (candy, 2020) and we united as a group to reflect our artistic purpose rather than feel pressured or worried about the end result. This actually helped me as an artist feel less pressure and enjoy the initial experience of collaboration.

Following this session we later all participated ina Yes And, exercise(Robinson M. 2015) in response to Organizational structures.I noticed that I tried to not take control of this exercise or to try and think ahead but rather allowing the moment to unravel itself with no guidance or sense of clarity, or collaborative drive, as Robinson intends.

It is interesting to reflect that the first group exercise “Image Five” personally felt more of a productive group Yes And exercise then the (Robinson M. 2015) in response to Organizational structures, as in the first instance we were working more as a collective. We were motivated about the process of getting to know one another rather than being pressured to create a product, resulting in something that we were actually proud of in the end.

I feel collaboration can benefit from an individual who can be there to steer the ship when needed. When there is no one to steer through, it may be positive to see endless possibilities occur however there is never going to be moments of stability or creative clarity, this can bring many issues with it in a professional rehearsal room, one of which is it feeling like an unsafe or unsupported.

As an artist, I only feel compelled and driven to give feedback or personal insight when I feel like I am adding something new to the conversation. However, I can get over excited and go into a professional waffle. Thinking about showing/verbalising what I mean, when struggling to articulate the intention has been previously hard at times.

Establishing the principles of critical response process (CRP) (Lerman and Borstel, 2022). “Video One” and putting them into practice “Video Two” has been incredibly useful for me to break down how I evaluate and structure my own creative opinion when in a collaborative environment.

This feels more analytic and considerate on my part, whereas a well in tended but uncontrolled creative waffle has no real sentiment or detail regarding artistic perception. This process invited me as the artist to ask the question really thinking about my artistic observations and the intentions behind my thoughts and intended queries.

Using a framework that best suits the individual artists can also be seen through Butterworth and this artists distinct and detailed points of making, using multiple skills (Butterworth, J. 2018).

This assumes prior knowledge, theory and understanding of practice, something I am starting to get a hold of, whilst taking the time that I need to process all of this academic information, as it can be overwhelming at times.

Directed teaching is being shown by a leader/teacher and is seen as didactic whilst a collaborative space is valued as demographic. This is a continuum of the process where using the organised structures and multiple skills aligns with how I see my artistry. Being able to Identify personal preferences, recognising skills and needs (In the light of a deeper understanding).

For me during these classes I have felt most connected to the simplicity of Butterworths open democratic method and that this allows exploration, discovery and problem solving. I connect with this the most and this portfolio has helped me to understand that this is how I see my role, aligning with my line of inquiry and identifying myself as “An Initiator, guide, facilitator, or Collaborator” (96, Butterworth. 2018)

On campus in the first term directors worked with MA Company to stage sections of Our House the Musical. This experience influenced a large amount of my artistic growth and development in the first term, helping me to later discover where I am best positioned as a collaborator (When working in Artistic Direction).

I was able to use the academic basis of “Critical Thinking” (Brookfield, S. 2005) helping me to simplify what was my responsibility, and therefore what I had control over, and as a result understanding what others were responsible for in the situation also “Image Six”.

I was initially in a tricky position of being drafted in to take further responsibility than originally agreed on this project (due to peer absence) and I was balancing this with external work and a placement. Due to the short timeline, I had this was very hard to navigate, however it at times this was made harder by a negative attitude in the room towards the material from other peers. When reflecting on this, it is clear to me this response was because individuals were passionate about succeeding and we didn’t have the time to find the right language through specific variables to communicate with each other or set a clear fluid rehearsal structure in the first place.

In this instance it was no one’s fault as I was drafted in at the last minute and we can’t get everything right. However, this informed me to create a more robust structure, communicating timescale and doing so with clarity for the future, being mindful about the opportunities and challenges in a project, and how I can steer through this with a company.

I have created a template of a shared folder “Image Seven” for company and creatives for projects I direct moving forwards. This is to create a main resource for everyone to stem from and have the same level of accessibility to.

At the start of all rehearsals there will be a quick check in, where all in attendance are asked to check in with each other, saying where they are at, how they’re feeling and what they need from the room in order do their best work on the day. 

I also created a joint rehearsal report “Document Two” for all creatives to be able to input their reflection on the day’s session into a shared space, so we can all access and retain this information (when needed).  These tools are influenced from my first director placement, working as an Assistant Director with Tutti Frutti Theatre Company on there production of Hare and Tortoise (Harris, W. 2025)

This has been received with overwhelmingly positive feedback form my peers and tutors, who encouraged me to outline these achievements in this portfolio as it reflects what I have gained from understanding my role (Artistic Direction) through collaboration and what can be my responsibility.