Theatre of Manifestation
We actively engage audiences through immersive theatre, live cinema, ritual and independent film. Spectators must choose their own journey without guidance, which challenges their habitual way of watching art and entertainment in a passive manner.
Over a number of years, FoolishPeople has developed a unique practice, Theatre of Manifestation. This is a form of ritual theatre that combines mythology, shamanism, drama therapy, strategic forecasting and open source collaboration. We create stories by merging film, performance, sound, art, light and the location to create a unique, dreamlike world that living characters inhabit.
Our audience must choose their own journey without guidance, a technique which challenges their habitual way of watching art and entertainment in a conventional manner. Static consumption is not possible, active engagement and participation is vital and absolutely necessary.
Each spectator will have their own personal experience inside the story and will absorb different strands of the narrative. Fragments, which the witness will use to construct their own reality. This structure allows for an intimate interaction with our art that can be a powerful, compelling and liberating experience.
John Harrigan founded FoolishPeople in 1989, taking its name from the Fool major arcana of the tarot. The Fool encourages us to walk our own path, not the path of the ‘herd’, to become a free spirit, free from societal constraints, who is able to let go of outmoded beliefs and ideals.
We have produced our work across sites including conventional theatres, galleries and site-specific venues spanning prestigious cultural venues such as the Institute of Contemporary Arts, Arcola Theatre and the Horse Hospital in London and historical buildings like the Galleries of Justice in Nottingham. We have toured internationally to the US and Amsterdam and worked for clients such as the BBC and Secret Cinema.
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