Dr Kate Craddock
Collaboration in Performance Practice: trust, longevity and challenging proximity
Biography
Kate is a performer, theatre maker and practice-led researcher. Kate initially joined the Performing Arts team at Northumbria University as a Graduate Tutor (2005-2008) before re-joining in September 2011 as a Senior Lecturer. Between 2009 and 2011, Kate worked as Associate Senior Lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University as well as a Visiting Lecturer at Northumbria. In 2011 Kate founded GIFT: Gateshead International Festival of Theatre, an international festival for new theatre makers. Following the success of GIFT 2011 as a pilot event, Kate is now growing GIFT as an annual event for Gateshead and the North East. GIFTed, a new higher education strand for the festival will also be launched in 2012. www.giftfestival.co.uk
Kate completed her practice-led PhD entitled ‘Collaboration in Performance Practice: trust, longevity and challenging proximity’ at Northumbria University in 2010. Much of Kate’s PhD research was carried out through her role as performer and co-artistic director of mouth to mouth | international performance collective; a globally dispersed group of performing artists who utilise Skype technology as a tool for performance. Kate also has a solo performance practice and has performed her one woman show Hand me down extensively, and is currently working on a new solo performance work based on the life of Gertrude Bell with the working title: The GB Project. Between 2004 and 2005 Kate worked as a performer with the Northern Stage Ensemble as part of the InterAct Scheme. Kate also worked as Movement Coach on the award winning production Motherland by writer/director Steve Gilroy.
Qualifications
BA (Hons) English Literature and Theatre Studies, University of Glasgow, 2002
MA Performance, Goldsmiths College, University of London, 2004
PhD, Northumbria University, 2010
Research InterestsKate’s research is largely based in practice led modes of enquiry in the field of contemporary performance practice. Kate is interested specifically in notions of collaboration and ensemble practice, and the potential for international theatre festivals as contexts for collaboration. In recent years, Kate has created new performance works and workshops for theatre festivals in Romania, Croatia, Spain, Ireland and the UK.
Teaching Interests
Kate’s teaching interests span practical and theoretical approaches to performance, often integrating aspects of research into her teaching practice. Kate teaches a number of modules across the undergraduate degree programmes: Performance, Drama and Drama and Script including Movement, Contemporary Performance, Platform Performance, Platform Critique, Devising, Analysing Practice and Facilitation. Kate is currently supervising one post-graduate MRes Arts student.
Affiliations and MembershipsKate is on the editorial team of Training Grounds, a section in the Routledge journal Theatre, Dance and Performance Training and is currently working towards a special issue on ‘Theatre and Sport’, to coincide with the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Since 2010 Kate has been on the Board of Directors of the award winning theatre company The Paper Birds
Kate is a resident artist at The Shed Creative Studios in Gateshead
Kate is a member of Equity
Performances
Selected Performances 2006-2011
Hand me down: A one woman show co-created with Steve Gilroy and produced by The Empty Space. Performed at The Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2008) receiving 4 star reviews (The Scotsman, Metro) and a Fringe First Nomination; Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne (2009); Sibiu Theatre Festival, Romania (2009); Tristan Bates Theatre, London (2011).
http://www.theemptyspace.org.uk/about/our-projects/hand-me-down
Virtual Jukebox: A participatory durational dance performance incorporating live and virtual performers by mouth to mouth | international performance collective. Performed at: Performance Now and Then at Wunderbar Festival, Newcastle upon Tyne (2009); Dublin Fringe, (2010); Arnolfini, Bristol (2010). http://vimeo.com/25935093
The GB Project: Currently at work in progress stage. First work in progress showing: First in Three, Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne (2011).
BLINK: mouth to mouth | international performance collective. An intimate site-responsive performance for two audience members at a time performed as part of The Late Shows at The Shed Creative studios (2010)
By Your Side: mouth to mouth | international performance collective at Dublin Fringe Festival. An intimate site-responsive performance combining music, storytelling and installation. (2009)
A River Runs Through Us: mouth to mouth | international performance collective as part of LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) at the Southbank, London (2008)
Contamination commissioned to be performed as part of Punchdrunk’s The Masque of the Red Death: mouth to mouth | international performance collective, at BAC, Battersea Arts Centre, London (2007 and 2008)
Under the Stairs: mouth to mouth | international performance collective, Best in Three at Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne (2008)
Lullabies: mouth to mouth | international performance collective. A performance for one audience member at a time, BURST at BAC, Battersea Arts Centre, London (2007)
Where Shall we meet?: mouth to mouth | international performance collective; a work performed in three phases at BAC, London; Culture Lab, Newcastle upon Tyne; and Dance City, Newcastle upon Tyne (2007)
no fixed abode: mouth to mouth | international performance collective, performed in two phases at BAC, London; and Collision Symposium, University of Victoria, Canada (2006)
Virtual Band: mouth to mouth | international performance collective. A participatory music performance combining live and virtual performers, Whitechapel Gallery, London (2006)
Upcoming:
It’s my party and I’ll Skype if I want to: an immersive performance experience created by mouth to mouth | international performance collective as part of Action Relay, a collaborative project between Wunderbar Festival and the Newbridge Project, Newcastle upon Tyne (November 2011)
Kate is a performer, theatre maker and practice-led researcher. Kate initially joined the Performing Arts team at Northumbria University as a Graduate Tutor (2005-2008) before re-joining in September 2011 as a Senior Lecturer. Between 2009 and 2011, Kate worked as Associate Senior Lecturer at Leeds Metropolitan University as well as a Visiting Lecturer at Northumbria. In 2011 Kate founded GIFT: Gateshead International Festival of Theatre, an international festival for new theatre makers. Following the success of GIFT 2011 as a pilot event, Kate is now growing GIFT as an annual event for Gateshead and the North East. GIFTed, a new higher education strand for the festival will also be launched in 2012. www.giftfestival.co.uk
Kate completed her practice-led PhD entitled ‘Collaboration in Performance Practice: trust, longevity and challenging proximity’ at Northumbria University in 2010. Much of Kate’s PhD research was carried out through her role as performer and co-artistic director of mouth to mouth | international performance collective; a globally dispersed group of performing artists who utilise Skype technology as a tool for performance. Kate also has a solo performance practice and has performed her one woman show Hand me down extensively, and is currently working on a new solo performance work based on the life of Gertrude Bell with the working title: The GB Project. Between 2004 and 2005 Kate worked as a performer with the Northern Stage Ensemble as part of the InterAct Scheme. Kate also worked as Movement Coach on the award winning production Motherland by writer/director Steve Gilroy.
Qualifications
BA (Hons) English Literature and Theatre Studies, University of Glasgow, 2002
MA Performance, Goldsmiths College, University of London, 2004
PhD, Northumbria University, 2010
Research InterestsKate’s research is largely based in practice led modes of enquiry in the field of contemporary performance practice. Kate is interested specifically in notions of collaboration and ensemble practice, and the potential for international theatre festivals as contexts for collaboration. In recent years, Kate has created new performance works and workshops for theatre festivals in Romania, Croatia, Spain, Ireland and the UK.
Teaching Interests
Kate’s teaching interests span practical and theoretical approaches to performance, often integrating aspects of research into her teaching practice. Kate teaches a number of modules across the undergraduate degree programmes: Performance, Drama and Drama and Script including Movement, Contemporary Performance, Platform Performance, Platform Critique, Devising, Analysing Practice and Facilitation. Kate is currently supervising one post-graduate MRes Arts student.
Affiliations and MembershipsKate is on the editorial team of Training Grounds, a section in the Routledge journal Theatre, Dance and Performance Training and is currently working towards a special issue on ‘Theatre and Sport’, to coincide with the 2012 London Olympic Games.
Since 2010 Kate has been on the Board of Directors of the award winning theatre company The Paper Birds
Kate is a resident artist at The Shed Creative Studios in Gateshead
Kate is a member of Equity
Performances
Selected Performances 2006-2011
Hand me down: A one woman show co-created with Steve Gilroy and produced by The Empty Space. Performed at The Pleasance, Edinburgh Festival Fringe (2008) receiving 4 star reviews (The Scotsman, Metro) and a Fringe First Nomination; Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne (2009); Sibiu Theatre Festival, Romania (2009); Tristan Bates Theatre, London (2011).
http://www.theemptyspace.org.uk/about/our-projects/hand-me-down
Virtual Jukebox: A participatory durational dance performance incorporating live and virtual performers by mouth to mouth | international performance collective. Performed at: Performance Now and Then at Wunderbar Festival, Newcastle upon Tyne (2009); Dublin Fringe, (2010); Arnolfini, Bristol (2010). http://vimeo.com/25935093
The GB Project: Currently at work in progress stage. First work in progress showing: First in Three, Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne (2011).
BLINK: mouth to mouth | international performance collective. An intimate site-responsive performance for two audience members at a time performed as part of The Late Shows at The Shed Creative studios (2010)
By Your Side: mouth to mouth | international performance collective at Dublin Fringe Festival. An intimate site-responsive performance combining music, storytelling and installation. (2009)
A River Runs Through Us: mouth to mouth | international performance collective as part of LIFT (London International Festival of Theatre) at the Southbank, London (2008)
Contamination commissioned to be performed as part of Punchdrunk’s The Masque of the Red Death: mouth to mouth | international performance collective, at BAC, Battersea Arts Centre, London (2007 and 2008)
Under the Stairs: mouth to mouth | international performance collective, Best in Three at Northern Stage, Newcastle upon Tyne (2008)
Lullabies: mouth to mouth | international performance collective. A performance for one audience member at a time, BURST at BAC, Battersea Arts Centre, London (2007)
Where Shall we meet?: mouth to mouth | international performance collective; a work performed in three phases at BAC, London; Culture Lab, Newcastle upon Tyne; and Dance City, Newcastle upon Tyne (2007)
no fixed abode: mouth to mouth | international performance collective, performed in two phases at BAC, London; and Collision Symposium, University of Victoria, Canada (2006)
Virtual Band: mouth to mouth | international performance collective. A participatory music performance combining live and virtual performers, Whitechapel Gallery, London (2006)
Upcoming:
It’s my party and I’ll Skype if I want to: an immersive performance experience created by mouth to mouth | international performance collective as part of Action Relay, a collaborative project between Wunderbar Festival and the Newbridge Project, Newcastle upon Tyne (November 2011)
