Dr Jeremy Scott, Senior Lecturer in English Language and Literature, recently received £15000 funding from the Arts Council for his project The Plant, a cooperative of Kentish actors, directors, writers and musicians creating theatre which explores pressing social and political issues in dialogue with local people. The aim is to create an accessible platform for these voices, and at the same time explore innovative creative practice. This project is related to Jeremy’s research in the Department of English Language and Linguistics and students have been involved in its development.
Jeremy writes: “Lots has been said about how and why playwrights write plays and about where their words come from. But what about when the actors themselves come up with those words? What made them think of saying those lines when they said them? And what makes those words any ‘good’? Members of our team conduct research into what makes improvised dialogue worth writing down as a script, into the processes of devised theatre more broadly, and into what ‘theatricality’ is really all about.”
“The Plant explores two key themes stirred up by the Brexit debate and its many implications:firstly, the ways in which the complex issues involved were communicated and understood within local communities; and secondly, the contested notion of ‘Englishness’ and the fragility of these communities, both national and local.”