A two-week Headphone Verbatim training course, equipping theatre-makers with the tools to create their own work with diverse communities.
Week 1:
25th July 15.45 - 18.15
Rich Mix
26th - 29th July 10.00 - 17.00
Rich Mix & Online
Week 2:
1st - 5th August
10.00 - 17.00
Poplar Union & Online
To access our information pack, click here.
What is Headphone Verbatim?
Pioneered by community arts activist Anna Deveare-Smith and Mark Wing Davey in the USA and now championed in the UK by Kristine Landon-Smith, it is a documentary theatre technique that can rapidly deliver the mood of a community, giving space to unheard voices in society.
Long-form interview is used to collect unique and distinctive personal stories. Once interviews have been completed, the edit looks for the "real" story in the interview: the subtext if you like. Artists then perform edited interviews whilst listening to them at the same time through headphones: hence "headphone verbatim". This technique allows every breath, every utterance, and every idiosyncratic detail of the speaker to be captured by the performer. The result is often a series of poignant, unpredictable, tender, funny and honest testimonies. It is an opportunity to reject the notion of stereotypes and engage with the complexity of each and every personal story. It has the potential to explore identity, culture, history, art, media and technology in the modern world.
Train with us and become a Headphone Verbatim practitioner
We are seeking a cohort of 25 Black & Global Majority creatives to join Kristine Landon-Smith on a 2-week Headphone Verbatim training programme. Participants must be 18 to 30 years and early to mid-career artists. This course is perfect for educators, arts professionals & producers who want to create work with and for diverse communities. It is also an invaluable skill for actors, directors and theatre-makers.
By the end of the process, artists will be equipped with the below skills, a growing network of fellow Headphone-makers and the confidence to develop their own practice. This is part of KLS & Associates’ long-term aim to develop a cohort of practitioners who will be able to train, create and distribute the Headphone Verbatim practice across the UK.
What are the benefits?
Develop a peer network that could support you in the work you make going forward
Build your networks and understanding of working with diverse communities
Receiving teaching and mentorship from highly experienced practitioners
Become equipped with all the skills required to make a Headphone show of one’s own, including:
Selecting a project’s themes with community members
Interview techniques to work with real people from diverse communities
Edit techniques: how to recognise a good edit, using editing software to cut and collate interviews
Understanding the tools to create a performance (Dropbox, tracker documents, ethics & permission release forms)
Curation of material to develop a whole show
Understanding of the Headphone Verbatim performance technique.
Bursary Spots
The fee for this programme is £150 with bursary places available. We are committed to removing financial barriers to accessing the industry whenever possible. We have a limited number of bursary spaces for those who need them. If you are interested in applying for one of these spaces, get in touch with Charlotte at info@klsandassociates.com