ROMCOM or, THE DISTANCE LOVE CAN BE MAINTAINED BETWEEN ANY TWO FIXED POINTS
text: Glen Neath
concept / direction: Ant Hampton
video: Britt Hatzius
Following BLOKE, and some experiments in late 2002, Ant Hampton and Glen Neath created "ROMCOM". Two performers meet on stage before an audience and enact the story of a relationship. The performers, different for every performance, agree in advance to do the show, but have absolutely no idea what is expected of them; they simply turn up and put on a set of headphones through which instructions are given to them about what to say and do. It's important they haven't been told anything about the show's contents beforehand.
The two tracks - one for each performer - are started simultaneously with a DVD. The DVD contains the music for the show, and also images projected as backdrop - this projection doubles up as the lighting for the show (there are no other light sources). All three discs then run on for 50 minutes without any human intervention; the entire stage business in ROMCOM - blackouts, titles for scenes, sound cues, music, lighting - is therefore automated, using very simple means. The structure then is TOTALLY AUTOMATIC and "closed", thereby foregrounding the variable, human process of negotiating and carrying out the instructions.
Premiered at the 291 Gallery, London, March 2003
with Finlay Robertson & Amber Sealey
and David Rosenberg & Gemma Brockis [shunt]
then:
West End Centre, Aldershot, UK, March 2004
- with Martin Huggan & Camilla Greene
Arches theatre festival, The Arches, Glasgow, April 2004
- with Paul Blair & Alison Peebles, Ross Stenmore & Judith Williams, Neil Francis & Michaela Dunne
Garage festival, Stralsund, Germany, August 2004
- with Linde Engelhardt and Jens Bohnsack
Plateaux festival, Frankfurt, Germany, October 13-14 2004
- with Jerry Killick [Forced Entertainment] + Elyce Semenec ; Lars Rudolph + Caroline Peters [above]
Live Brits festival, Hebbel Am Ufer, Berlin, January 2005
- with Bastian Trost [Gob Squad] and Bettina Grahs, Tilo Werner & Sussane Sachsse
Exeter Phoenix - May 2005
- with Katie Beswick and Marcus Bartlett
Bethnal Green Working Men's Club - May 2005
- with Sophie Okonedo and Greg McLaren, as part of Sexy Machinery #11
Rotozaza Blowout At The Hackney Empire, London, July 2005
- with Sean Hughes [Sean's Show / Never Mind The Buzzcocks...] and Hannah Ringham [Shunt]
Noorderzon Festival, Grönigen, Holland - August 20, 21 2005
- with Gerry van der Laan & Sarah van Steenderen; Mirjam Stolwijk & Jochem Koole
Dublin Fringe Festival, Project Arts Centre - September 29, 30 And October 1 2005
- with Lisa Lambe & Karl Shiels; Katherine O'Malley & Wolfgang Hoffmann; Ruth Negga & Tadg Murphy
Theaterhaus Gessnerallee, Zurich -January 22, 23 2006
- with Fabienne Hadorn & Martin Zimmerman; Barbara Maurer & Thomas Wodianka
Activate Performing Arts Conference, Study Gallery, Poole - March 14 2006
- with Laura Griffin & Lee Hart
Elkafka Teatro, Buenos Aires, Argentina, March 23, 24, 25 2006 > (Spanish version)
- with Bárbara Togander & Pablo Messiez; Soledad Galarce & Diego Leske; Marina Belatti & Darìo Tangelson; Katrina Van Ron & Fernando Margenet; Elena Gowland & Mariano Caligaris
Shunt Vaults, Joiner Street, London, UK, January 2007
-
-with Greg Henderson Begg & Emily Mytton; Matt Rudkin & Emma Macfarlane; Neil Edmond & Melanie Wilson
Escrita Na Paisagem, Evora, Portugal (Portuguese version)
-
-with Dora Bernardo & Tiago Porteiro
Krakowskie Reminiscencje Teatralne, Krakow, Poland (Polish version)
-
-with Michal Kocurek & Monika Radziwon; Marta Wardynska & Jakub Snochowski
Photo above shows Lars Rudolph + Caroline Peters at Plateaux festival, Germany, 2004
below - Sophie Okonedo and Greg McLaren at Sexy Machinery #11 Bethnal Green Working Men's Club - May 2005
middle - Marina Belatti & Darìo Tangelson - Elkafka Teatro, Buenos Aires, 2006
bottom - Bárbara Togander & Pablo Messiez -Elkafka Teatro, Buenos Aires, 2006
