R&D Sharing
Diaspora Inferno: From My Grandmother’s Kitchen
On July 22nd, we held an R&D performance sharing at Centre 151 to share with an audience what we have been working on, in preparation for our shows at the Drayton Arms Theatre
Here are our reflections on this essential part of our project development:
A Voice to Be Heard, a Body to Be Seen, a Presence to Be Acknowledged
My first purpose as a theatre-maker and facilitator is simple yet urgent: to offer others— especially immigrant women—the confidence to reclaim their voices. For me, the most honest way to do this is through the body. As Jacques Lecoq reminds us, “The body knows things of which the mind is ignorant.” Lecoq’s approach provided the foundation for the work developed during this five-week research and development (R&D) phase.
The project was structured around five sessions, each lasting three hours and hosted at Centre 151 in Haggerston—a warm and welcoming space whose management offered genuine support. From the outset, I monitored participant engagement and growth using a pre- and post-survey model.