A LITTLE BIT ABOUT
OUR METHODOLOGY AND
WHY WE DO WHAT WE DO
WHY?
A SPACE FOR
COLLABORATION
We wanted to create a hub, a family, where people could come together to take risks. And we’ve done that over the past four years, working with 500+ artists from all walks of life, developing and presenting over 100 new pieces of work – some full-length and some excerpts – in a variety of places.
WoLab began during our first show, Man-Cub, back in 2017. The show enjoyed multiple sell-out, critically acclaimed runs, but after the show ended, we wanted to capture that feeling of artists coming together to play and develop themselves.
WHERE ARTISTS
GET THEIR CHANCE
We train, mentor, nurture and creatively entitle artists, helping them discover and refine their talents, and then showcase them to the industry – leading them onto other further work and exciting opportunities. Throughout our projects, people mature as artists and expand their professional network.
Currently the industry isn’t as accessible as it should be to early-career artists, who aren’t from a privileged background. But there’s a trend happening where artists are creating their own work, however it’s hard to do so when you haven’t been given the support. So, one aim of ours, is to foster the opportunity for those people. We form groups in which different energies can flourish.
TO BRING PEOPLE
TOGETHER
There is a violence that takes place in our silences to intolerance, and our projects have the capability to bridge the gap between communities, and provide a chance for people to unite, chart their similarities, reflect on their differences, and promote empathy. At the core of our work, is a spirit of resistance, and a call for unity, beyond boundaries.
We live in politically charged times and our work reflects that. But it also goes further and is aware of how the stories we tell can shape audiences wider political perceptions of people, because these perceptions can either unite or divide us. Our stories are accessible; they actively engage and challenge preconceptions. One of theatre’s strengths is to articulate the repressed.
WITH A DISTINCTLY
HUMAN PROCESS
Through ensemble work, the rehearsal process offers exercises that connect with the body’s senses and subconscious desires, creating work that is reactive and not prescriptive. The goal is to create performance that is raw and authentic.
Our methodology is based on connecting with the body’s natural impulses. Through grounding techniques, physical and vocal training, and improvisation, we are able to activate our emotions and expand our imagination. This leads us to having a real ownership of text, and a heightened realisation of who the character is.