Mark Web2 - 1 (1).jpg

terra/earth

February 2019

My love, outside of theatre, is contemporary dance. In 2019 as part of NT Connections, a piece was commissioned which combined dance and text. It was an intriguing piece to work on and eminently satisfying.

Emotion in

Motion

A group of classmates is torn apart by the opportunity to perform their own dance. As they disagree and bicker, two distinct physical groups emerge and separate into opposing teams.

When a strange outsider appears — out of step with everyone else — the divide is disrupted. A contemporary narrative dance piece about individuality, community and heritage.

I wanted to write a play that used the language of the body as well as the tongue. The point where text meets movement is a fascinating place to explore, and I thought it important to engage young people who might not be interested in straight performance, but something more dynamic. I also wanted to address how many judgements we make when we meet new people, both conscious and unconscious. — Nell Leyshon

"This show was an object lesson in how to tell a story with few words using mainly movement and dance. You can all be very proud of yourselves for achieving so much and performing to such a high standard. The Young Theatre is incredibly fortunate to have such a talented team both on and off stage." NODA