Fiona Templeton

Fiona Templeton is an internationally recognised innovator in writing and directing for theatre and performance. She is currently Artistic Director and founder of The Relationship, a performance group based in both New York and London; and in the 70s was co-founder of the influential Theatre of Mistakes. Her large-scale site-specific work has won numerous international awards.

Her publications include plays, poetry and writing on the theory of performance. Fiona also collaborates with artists in other fields including visual arts, dance and music such as Elliott Sharp, Samita Sinha, Pamelia Kurstin, Molissa Fenley, Siobhan Liddell and Joan Jeanrenaud.

She has directed the work of innovative writers including Elfriede Jelinek (whom she has also translated), Michael Gottlieb, Suzan-Lori Parks and Leslie Scalapino.

Her work is shown at venues as varied as the Tate Britain, the Tramway in Glasgow, the Vortex in Dalston, ODC Theatre in San Francisco, the Puerto Rico International Festival of Theatre, Fort Jay on Governor’s Island in New York Harbor, the abandoned Pennsylvania Eastern State Penitentiary, and as commissions for Chashama Theatre and the Poetry Project in New York, and the Cultural Capital of Europe Festivals of Rotterdam and Lille. Collaborating organisations have included Amnesty International, French Railways, the Slovene Socialist Party headquarters, the offices of the European Union, a commercial accounting firm in the city of London, and a snackbar on Brick Lane.

She has received awards and fellowships including from the Rockefeller Foundation, the US National Endowment for the Arts, the New York Foundation for the Arts, and has held a Senior Judith Wilson Fellowship in poetry and writing for performance at Cambridge.

Research Overview

The voice and the speaking subject in writing and performance; site specific and large-scale performance; intimate performance; interdisciplinary performance; women in performance; innovation in language; relationship within performance and with the audience.

Teaching Activity

Theory and practice of experimental writing for performance, and of playwriting; theory and practice of performance, and of directing; European theatre and performance, North and South American theatre and performance; interdisciplinary performance. I welcome research students in the above areas, particularly in practice-as-research.

PRODUCTIONS/INSTALLATIONS since 2000:
 
In preparation:
 
Retrospective of my work as co-founder of The Theatre of Mistakes, at Tate Britain; curated by Jason Bowman for New Work Network, 2011-22
 
The Medead in concert, collaboration with composer Samita Sinha, a New York State Council on the Arts commission, 2012
 
Co-Artistic Director of Voxvox International Festival (a festival of collaborations between poets and composers, a Voiceworks project), Brunel University/Birkbeck University/Guildhall School of Music/Wigmore Hall, for 2012
 
2011 The Dust, by Michael Gottlieb, directed at The Poetry Project, New York, for 9/11 10th anniversary
 
6 things, installation at CGP London, Southwark Park
 
2010 Flow, by Leslie Scalapino, directed at Poets’ House, New York, coproduced by Belladonna and the Poetry Project; & at Dixon Place, New York; ODC Theater, San Francisco
 
The Sinking of the Titanic by Gavin Bryars, collaboration with Bob Gilmore, Brunel University
 
2008-10 Going (with Coming), Chashama Theatre, New York; Dixon Place, New York; Psi15, Zagreb; Puerto Rico International Festival; Movement Research Festival
 
2008 The Early Medead (sections 1,2, & 3 of The Medead), at Fort Jay, Governor’s Island, New York Harbor
 
Rudens, by Louis Zukofsky, and Bluebeard, by FT, Links Hall, Chicago, in “Returning from One Place to Another: A Poet’s Theater”
 
2007 365 Days/365 Plays by Suzan-Lori-Parks, various sites in Triborough New York
 
2006 Medea in Aia (section 1 of The Medead), 15 Nassau (LMCC Swing Space), NYC
 
2005 The Later Medead (sections 4,5, & 6 of The Medead), a Surge commission, The Tramway, Glasgow
 
Sickness or Modern Women, by Elfriede Jelinek, reading translated & directed by FT, Martin Segal Theatre, CUNY Grad Center
 
The Medead, sections at Mabou Mines, New York (in residence 2004-5)
 
2004 Invisible Dances, with Bock & Vincenzi, Venice Biennial
 
Sleepwalks & Oracle, Site/Sight Symposium & tEXt Festival, Exeter, England
 
2003-4 L’Île (The Island), A new theatre work commissioned for the opening of Lille European Cultural Capital 2004, France; 10 actors, 30 volunteers, 70 locations
 
2002  DU Die Stadt (version ofYou-The City) (dir. Judith Wilske, Fiona Templeton consultant), Hamburg
 
2001 The Medead, development presentation of sections 1 & 5, Nuffield Theatre, Lancaster, funded by North West Arts and the Arts & Humanities Research Board. Development incl: New Dramatists, NY; Playlabs Minneapolis; International Women Playwrights’ Conference, Athens; New York Theatre Workshop; Toynbee Hall, London
 
2001  JIJ–de Stat (version of You - The City), commissioned key project of Rotterdam Cultural Capital of Europe, producer Rotterdamse Schouwburg
 
PUBLICATIONS SINCE 2000
 
Books:
Elements of Performance Art, theory and exercises, forthcoming 2011/12, New Work Network
Medea in Aia, New York, Belladonna Series, 2008
Going, play, co-written with Anthony Howell and The Theatre of Mistakes, Grey Suit editions, London 2007
Mum in Airdrie, poem, Object Permanence books, Glasgow, Scotland, 2006
 
Invisible Dances, text for performance by Bock & Vincenzi, London: Arts Admin 2004
 
Delirium of Interpretations, an antibiographical play, Green Integer Press, L.A. 2003
 
Published critical articles include:
-“Acting Brackets – on directing the non-textual aspects of Leslie Scalapino’s Flow” in Jacket Magazine, http://jacket2.org/, 2011
-“Speaking for Performance”, chapter in Sensualities/Textualities & Technologies: Writings of the Body in 21st Century Performance, Palgrave MacMillan, London, 2009
-Introduction to Media Trilogy, by John Jesurun, No Passport Press, New York 2009
-“medium, remedy, mortality, fiction, acting, absence, capture, loss, recognition” in Multi-Media, ed. Nick Kaye, London: Routledge 2007
-from Elements of Performance Art, in Factorial, Providence and Tokyo, 2003
-"Resisting Memorialisation" conversation with Andrew Quick, Performance Research Journal, 2001
-"Excavation (On editing)", note in Performance Research Journal, 2001
 
Conferences, talks and events include:
2010 Invited Speaker, panel on Poets’ Theatre, MLA Convention
2009 Shift leader and Workshop leader, Performance Studies International Conference (PSi15), “MISPERFORMANCE: Misfiring, Misfitting, Misreading”, Zagreb, Croatia
2009 Keynote speaker, “Bacaci Sjenki, Forum on Performance and the City”, Zagreb, Croatia
2008 Participating writer, “Writing Encounters”, symposium York St John University, York
2008 Participating writer, “The Long Relay”, Serpentine Gallery, London
2007 Keynote speaker, “Balkan Express – cross-cultural collaborations in New Europe”, Ljubljana, Slovenia
2007 Panel on “Theatre in the Political Arena”, part of PEN World Voices, Martin Segal Theatre, City University of New York Graduate Center
2006 “A Poetics of Performance” Talk at Birkbeck College, London, in Talkstalkstalks series, curated by Prof. Robert Hampson, Royal Holloway
2006 Talk and Workshop on "Audience and Attention", as member of The Presence Project, (Stanford University/Exeter University, 2005- ongoing)
2005 Talk at the University of Tbilisi, Republic of Georgia
2005 Guest intervention in ‘Wrights & Sites’, Walk21-VI - Everyday Walking Culture, The 6th International Conference on Walking, Zurich, Switzerland
2005 "The Art of Relation", research workshop and talk, Chisenhale Dance Space, London
2002 Panel presentation on art and copyright, ICA London
2000 "Trusting the Landscape", panel on poetic theater, New Dramatists, New York

Publications

Journal Papers

(2011) TEMPLETON, F., "Acting Brackets - on directing the non-lexical aspects of Leslie Scalapino's Flow", Jacket Magazine

(2001) TEMPLETON, F., Recognition, PAJ: a journal of performance and art (no 69) XXIII (3)

(2001) TEMPLETON, F., Resisting Memorialisation, Performance Research: a journal of the performing arts 5 (3)

Conference Papers

(2011) Templeton, F., On Poets' Theatre., MLA (Modern Language Association) Convention

(2009) TEMPLETON, F., The Theatre of Mistakes, PSi15

(2008) TEMPLETON, F., Writing Live, Writing Encounters

(2007) TEMPLETON, F., Cross-cultural collaborations in new Europe, Balkan Express

(2007) TEMPLETON, F., Theatre in the Political Arena, PEN World Voices

(2006) TEMPLETON, F., A Poetics of Performance, Talkstalkstalks

(2006) TEMPLETON, F., Audience and Attention, The Presence Project

Book Chapters

(2010) Templeton, F., Speaking for performance / Writing with the voice. In: Broadhurst, S. and Machon, J. eds. Sensualities/Textualities and Technologies: Writings of the Body in 21st Century Performance. Basingstoke, Hampshire : Palgrave Macmillan Download publication

(2009) Templeton, F., Language makes itself come true: Preface to Deep sleep, white water, black maria - a media trilogy by John Jesurun. In: . NoPassport Press Download publication

(2007) TEMPLETON, F., medium, remedy, mortality, fiction, acting, absence, capture, loss, recognition. In: Multi-Media: Video - Installation - Performance. London : Routledge

(1996) TEMPLETON, F., Real Dead and Fake Living. In: Spahr, J. and Osman, J. eds. Chain Journal. Buffalo : Chain (2)

Books

(2007) Howell, A. and Templeton, F., Going. Grey Suit Editions

(2007) Templeton, F., Medea in Aia. Belladonna Books

(2006) Templeton, F., Mum in Airdrie. Object Permanence

(2004) Templeton, F., Bock, F., Brown, J. and Vincenzi, S., Invisible dances -- from afar: a show that will never be shown. London: Artsadmin

(2003) Templeton, F., Delirium of interpretations. Copenhagen: Green Integer

(1997) Templeton, F., Jacobson, B. and International, A., Cells of release. Roof Books

(1997) TEMPLETON, F., Shattered Anatomies. Arnolfini Bristol and Arts Council of England

(1990) Templeton, F., You, the city. Roof Books

(1984) Templeton, F., London.

(1977) Howell, A., Templeton, F. and Mistakes, TTO., Elements of performance art.

(1977) TEMPLETON, F., oops the join. rem press