Back in September 2024, Zoo Co & Improbable partnered on creative residency at the beautiful Bore Place.
The collaboration explored improvisation with a company of deaf, hard of hearing and hearing practitioners. They scratched the surface of what it could be to improvise between, with and without language, using Open Space principles under the guidance of Lee Simpson.
During their stay, Ess Grange observed, recorded and collated a Zine to archive the event, titled 'What can we learn from each other about improv? A Zoo Co x Improbable workshop for deaf, hard of hearing, and hearing practitioners.'
Check it out below, find the link to Flo & Fleur's captioned video podcast and zine description at the bottom of the page.
To access the captioned video podcast of Flo and Fleur mentioned above, click here.
Description: The Zine serves as a creative documentation of Zoo Co and Improbable's exploration of deaf and hearing improv at Bore Place. Its design is in the style of a scrapbook, using a variety of textures, colours and mediums.
The Zine consists of:
Photographs: Images of collaborators immersed in the countryside surroundings of Bore Place, engaging in improv activities and connecting with one another and nature.
Drawings: Reflective sketches capturing the mood, scenery, and emotions of the retreat. These hand-drawn illustrations convey a sense of spontaneity and personal expression.
Calls for 'Sessions' (written on A4 paper and scanned): Handwritten pages calling 'sessions' from retreat. These offers were made by various members of the group to unpack and explore during the collaborative process.
Text on each zine page:
Page one:
What can we learnt from each other about improv?
What will the week look sound taste smell and feel like?
A Zoo Co X Improbable workshop for deaf, hard of hearing and hearing practitioners.
Page two:
Can we play BSL + ‘Werge’? English & gesture. Word - merge. - Flo
Two people each think of a word, they jump into the centre of the circle and - on the count of three - sign or speak their word. Two more people come forward with a word each that (they think)connects the first two words. If they don’t say the same word as each other, another two come forward with a word each to connect the second two words. Repeat until two people share the same word at the same time.
Word playing in BSL - William
Which non-verbal improv games exist? - Fleur
What is the Deaf culture/communication tactics in Deaf improv? - Sophie
Page three:
How to remove the fear of miscommunication in improv? - William
What if a misunderstanding or miscommunication is the right dialogue? - Sophie
Making space to fail phenomenally. - Flo
Two pairs play out a scene, where one member of each pair is being the arms and sign language of the conversation, and the other person is being the speaking voice…
Page four:
What popular improvisation games do you know? (can be from any medium) - SC
Word at a Time: Put your arm around your partner Or stand next to them Or face them Try to speak as if you are one person One word at a time
How do bodies listen? - Rebecca
Page five:
One person speaks in gibberish, the other “translates” for the audience. Leaning in to misunderstandings and miscommunications. Playing with layers of translation and BSL interpretation.
Foreign Lecturer. - Lee
Page six:
Instant acting using SSE or SSE actor and BSL actor. What do? What need to consider? - Sophie
Record the scene as neutrally as possible Run the scene using the recording, not performing the lines directly. You may only use Repel, Compel, Impel (move away, towards or remain where you are). Record again, repeat the process. In later iterations, you can choose to pause a moment, make different choices, and eventually run the scene without the recording, remembering your lines as best you can.
Page seven:
Would improvising the ‘text’ be helpful? - Rebecca
What is the essence of instant acting? What other improv games encapsulate this essence? - Fleur
Non-ipad BSL instant acting - Lee
We worked on atmospheres. Then we devised a really short script for Fleur and Sophie. Something they could easily remember. I think we asked them to: BSL (and speak?) the lines off-stage with ‘no acting’. Decide on an atmosphere and play the scene on-stage in that atmosphere while playing the impel, repel, compel game. BSL the lines, again off-stage with no acting, but if any information came through from the previous version to let that in. Decide on a different atmosphere and play the scene on-stage in that atmosphere while playing the impel, repel, compel game. BSL the lines, again off-stage with no acting, but if any information came through from the previous version to let that in. Decide on another different / contrasting atmosphere and play the scene on-stage in that atmosphere (did we play the impel, repel, compel game again or did we play a different game like over-acting or something like that?) BSL the lines off-stage, again and if anything came through from the previous version to let that in. Play the scene on-stage as they wanted, staying awake to their impulses. This felt like a start of something very, very exciting but also something that needs to be further developed.
Page eight:
Morning walk? - Anna
Blackberry picking - Sophie
Lunchtime walk? - Flo
How do we welcome Becky tomorrow?
How can we make sure we manage energy AND make friends? - Hannah
If we were inventing theatre from scratch, what would it be, how would it work? (The burn it all down and start again session) - Ess
Page nine:
Experimenting with just hanging out together - Lee
Why is it so fucking expensive to learn BSL - and why won’t the NHS pay for it? - Rebecca
Click here for a captioned video podcast of Flo and Fleur talking about the week.
Photos by members of Zoo Co unless otherwise credited to Mika Rosenfeld.
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