We are delighted to announce the launch of our British Council funded collaboration with the University of Cape Town and Second Chance Theatre Group
From July 2022 to March 2023 Geese, University of Cape Town and members of Second Chance Theatre will engage in a collaborative exploration of theatre and drama in criminal justice and social welfare settings.
The project will explore:
- How Geese methodology, in particular the use of masks, works in UK criminal justice and social welfare settings.
- How different cultural and social contexts influence social justice arts practices in the UK and South Africa.
- The creation of culturally diverse masks and scenarios for the UK and South Africa.
Our Artistic Director, Andy, was invited to Cape Town in 2019 to work with students and academics at the university, to observe and work in Pollsmoor Prison, and to work with Second Chance. The connections made on this first visit provided the inspiration for Unmasked, which will see practitioners from Geese visiting Cape Town, reciprocal visits to Birmingham, and a series of remote sessions.
The first visit happened in July 2022 with Iman and Nawaal spending a week with Geese, training with our practitioners, working alongside us in a prison, exploring our range of masks, and meeting our Staging Recovery Ensemble. Of course, there was also plenty of opportunity to visit some of the cultural highlights of the West Midlands, including the Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery, the IKON, and Black Country Living Museum!
“This is the first time that I’ve been able to visit and spend time with another company and to really do a cultural exchange where we can have the conversations, participate and have the discussion around what we do and how we do it through the sharing and exchange of skills and knowledge. That for me is probably the most exciting part of the visit and the part I was looking forward to the most.”
Iman
“For me I’m most looking forward to learning about the culture and learning about Geese. Especially because this is my first time travelling and leaving South Africa.”
Nawaal
Three of our team will make a return visit to Cape Town in a couple of weeks time. Watch this space for updates on what they get up to and follow us on social media using the hashtag #UnmaskedExchange
