Practitioner focus: Kneehigh

Kneehigh theatre company began 30 years-ago, founded by former teacher Mike Shepherd. The small group toured the vibrant village hall circuit of south Cornwall with original shows bathed richly in the local yarns, myths and tales garnered from the rugged coastal region.

Today, Kneehigh tour nationally and internationally, with Mike still at the helm. Their most recent production, a puppet-based version of Gunter Grass’ post-war novel The Tin Drum drew alarming parallels with our modern world and affirmed the outfit's status as a company who believe in storytelling that resonates with a modern audience.

Their approach is genuinely innovative, with a strong leaning towards experimentation and expressed creativity. Its ever-changing ensemble of actors, prop-makers and set designers collaborate heartily and are encouraged to share ideas and suggest theories; yet crucially the group are proud that their way of working has no set formula, which is key to their output. Instead they use a handful of ‘ingredients’ such as music and props to line the base of their workings. Nods to this can be found on the theatre's interactive digital portal called the Kneehigh Cookbook. It's free to sign up to, and its content is extremely useful.

Influences and themes

Given Kneehigh's approach, the group don't lean overtly towards influences in their process. In an interview for Ink Pellet magazine, Charlotte Bond, Kneehigh's general manager, says they are often approached by teachers and students, clambering for a Kneehigh text books, but such a formula doesn't exist: ‘It's about mixing and matching and trying things out and seeing where stuff takes you. Ultimately it's about a group of people making something rather than a style sheet.'

Speaking in a video for the Kneehigh Cookbook, Mike Shepherd says this approach is fundamental. ‘We do get asked a lot “how do you do it?” The simple answer to that is – I don't know. And not knowing is important. You don't know what you are doing because you are trying to do something different,’ he explains.

That said, Mike has referenced two books that he often dips into. Both Improv for Storytellers by Keith Johnson and John Wright's Why is that so Funny: A practical exploration of physical comedy are worth digging out and having on your reference shelf.

All of the exercises below should be framed in a way that takes Kneehigh's experimental approach into account.

Exercise one

‘If you succeed, for me, it's about taking an audience on a journey and them ending up somewhere they didn't necessarily expect to be.’ Mike Shepherd

Take a script the students have studied and, in a large group or smaller subgroups, have the students pick out two to three key themes which could resonate with a modern audience. Bringing their own experiences, ideas and theories, encourage them to twist and warp the plot; experimenting to create new stories from the original including sub-plots and cameos from other characters. At the end, discuss the process and conclude whether your audience will be surprised by the time the curtain falls. Did they expect to be where they now are?

Exercise two

‘Colour and inspiration and air make me feel better as a human-being and allow me to function creatively.' Mike Shepherd

Take the students to a new environment; the woods, a barn, a large hall. Something that has aesthetic stimulus. How does the building sound? How does it make you feel? Allow the students, as Mike says, to be ‘consumed’ by the environment and discuss in a large group what strong feelings come out.

Exercise three

‘I've always got different playlists of music during rehearsals. I like to mix things up to make it a surprise.' Mike Shepherd

Choose a character, again something the students have been studying and are confident with. Play five tracks randomly while the students walk and mingle through the space. Ask the students to perform how that character would behave and act when sound-tracked by that piece of music. Try to vary the pieces; from classical to hip-hop; from punk to jazz and see what comes out in their behaviour. Encourage interaction and expression and at the end of the exercise discuss the process.

kneehighcookbook.co.uk