The Observer 21.3.04
Nicholas Hytner, presiding deity of the National Theatre, believes Shunt's latest work, Dance Bear Dance, was 'as viscerally exciting and atmospheric a piece of theatre as I've ever experienced'. The collective's performances, staged in spaces such as railway arches and clock towers, explode the conventions of theatre, as far from spending an evening slumped in red velvet as you can get. According to group member Heather Uprichard, their aim is 'to do something different with theatre to explore the live event. To create an audience experience that isn't passive, where you can't just sit and dissociate yourself from it.'
The group, three men and seven women, met as postgraduates on a drama course. All wanted to continue working together so, says Uprichard, they decided to 'just put their money where their mouth was' and rent a Bethnal Green railway arch. Last month they moved to cavernous vaults under London Bridge following the success of Dance Bear Dance, which ran for nine months.
And, remarkably, most of this has been achieved in their spare time. To take the financial strain over the five years they've been working, the group have all done outside work. The writer also works as a care assistant, and the director as an anaesthetist, while the group's aerialist is a wine taster. Uprichard recently became the group's first full-time member.
At the moment Shunt are refurbishing their new headquarters, and planning a new show for July. The task, Uprichard believes, is to 'keep the momentum going after Dance Bear Dance. I guess my feeling is: "Oh, it's not going to last, let's get the next show on before it disappears."' With fans like Nicholas Hytner, it's unlikely that Shunt will be disappearing any time soon.
Rob Colvile