Adapting to the pandemic in style
by Miles Stebens
As many other creative acts, Aberdeen theatre company Ten Feet Tall have had to adapt to the ongoing pandemic. Their newest project, Living In Splendid Isolation, is their response to the isolation and extended lockdowns, since they’ve had to put their other projects on hold for the time being. Living In Splendid Isolation is a collaboration with artists based in the North East of Scotland. The project officially started in the Summer of 2020 and is still in the developing stage. However, in an attempt to stay active and give an outside audience the opportunity to get involved in the creative process, they shared their works-in-progress over two nights on Zoom.
The two nights featured 5 pieces by 8 writers in total: a team of four from the Ten Feet Tall company, as well as Jo Gilbert, Jackill, Laura Miller and Shane Strachan. The Zoom audiences were treated to theatre scenes, dramatic monologues, and even a pre-recorded performance uploaded to YouTube.
Some of the most suggestive pieces were in Doric. At the end of each, there was the chance to pass on anonymous feedback, and the nights concluded with a Q&A session in which the artists could share more about their creative process, as well as the plans they have for developing their ideas further.
It was certainly refreshing and exciting to be able to be involved in this kind of creative process, something that we have been rather robbed of because of the pandemic. I, for one, am looking forward to seeing how the artists will further develop and finalise the pieces, knowing that I was part of the process.
