Canvas is Crosslight's new writing project celebrating art, new writing and the blank page. We will be giving two writers one painting, then allow them to come up with a short five to ten- minute response script based on their reaction to or interpretation of it. We hope the project will allow us to explore how theatre and stories can take root in different mediums, whether in conversation with the artist or shedding light on something entirely new.
In light of Covid-19, we have used this time to proceed with the project by using our own homes as our canvases. We will be getting actors to record their own performances, allowing us to collaborate with different creatives on new exciting and provocative work from the safety of our own homes.
The project will work like a creative relay race. We will be inviting two writers to create an original 5 to 10-minute script in response to a piece of art; this could be anything from a Renaissance portrait to a contemporary, abstract thematic piece. The writers will take inspiration from that painting - its themes, images, colours and/or subject - and write their script in one week. From there, we will pass the script on to actors, without letting them see the original painting or even know who the writer is: this way, the actor is free to create their own interpretation of the script, taking it even further from its original source. A composer will take these videos and write a brief piece of music in response.
We hope by creating this chain of creatives responding to other creatives, without seeing its initial source, we will be able to celebrate individual artists and their craft, while still maintaining a creative conversation with each other. One of Crosslight’s main aims is to find innovative ways to allow various artistic mediums to come together, so this is a prospect we are really excited by. One where we are able to marry and provide opportunities to artists from as many different forms as possible.
We have just finished the second week of the project: the scripts have been written, the composer has written their track and the actors are recording their final takes, still having never seen the painting their script is inspired by. We can’t wait for you to see the hard work that all the team have put into their pieces! Keep an eye on our social media throughout the week for updates and the final videos!