The Good Listening To Show: Stories of Distinction & Genius

118 Welcome To The Clearing The 'Actor's Actor' Tim Crouch: Experimental Theatre Maker, Actor, Writer & Director Extraordinaire

• Chris Grimes - Facilitator. Coach. Motivational Comedian

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Very excited to welcome Tim Crouch, one of British Theatre's 'great innovators', with plays that have disturbed and challenged the passive theatrical experience to The Good Listening To 'Clearing'.

A wonderfully rich and textured conversation indeed.  As Tim said:  "I talked with Chris about Tony Brightwell, my dad, my dog, randy airline captains, theatre, sailing little boats, my family - but mostly the dog..."

Tim Crouch is a world renowned British experimental Theatre Maker, Actor Writer & Director.  He specialises in rejecting theatrical conventions - especially realism - and prefers a form whereby the audience is invited to help image and create the work. Tim is very warmly regarded and much respected as being an "Actor's Actor".

"Theatre in its purest form is 'conceptual': No need for sets, costumes & props. All exists inside the audience's head".

This is particularly relatable for me because of my own love of all things Comedy Improvisation and INSTANT WIT whereby an empty stage is brimming and charged with potential where 'anything is possible', with the audience all set to colourise the scene and fill in the gaps of all the silly proceedings with their imaginations.

Tim's seminal 'centre piece' play from which he says all else has evolved was My Arm, the story of an 'empty gesture'.  It's about the confession of a man who lived for thirty years by the courage of his lack of conviction.  "At the age of 10, for want of anything more meaningful to do, I put my arm above my head and kept it there".

Other work includes "An Oak Tree"; TV series "Don't Forget The Driver" which he co-wrote with actor Toby Jones (as Tim's homage to his home town of Bognor Regis) plus numerous world tours with a series of plays making Shakespeare more accessible through the eyes and perspective of single characters "I, Malvolio"; I, Banquo"; I, Caliban"; "I, Peaseblossom"

Stephen Bottoms, Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance at the University of Manchester said of Tim Crouch:

"I can think of no other contemporary playwright who has asked such a compelling set of Questions about theatrical form, narrative content and a spectators's engagement".

‘One of the smartest artists making theatre in Britain now.‘
Kulturflash on Tim Crouch


Tune in next week for more stories of 'Distinction & Genius' from The Good Listening To Show 'Clearing'. If you would like to be my Guest too then you can find out HOW via the different 'series strands' at 'The Good Listening To Show' website.

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