Output details

Prometheus Awakes

'Prometheus Awakes' was a collaborative project led by Bradley Hemmings, Creative Director and Greenwich and Docklands International Festival and Co-Artistic Director of the Paralympic Opening 2012. McKeown was asked to join as a Creative Director in 2010 to bring both his visual style and his creative viewpoint on disability to the project. The Graeae Theatre Company was asked to coordinate the work with a vision to embed disability and accessibility and to provide a platform for a new generation of deaf and disabled talent (performers, directors, managers) to engage with the creation of trail-blazing theatre. Barcelona’s La Fura Dels Baus, an internationally acclaimed street theatre company, provided additional support and experience. The work brought together a range of different media and platforms in a performance that integrated projection, giant puppets and mass aerial choreography involving a cast of over 60 disabled and non-disabled volunteers. McKeown, one of the four directors on the project, was directly responsible for the large-scale animated environmental projections which were a core part of the project. 'Prometheus Awakes' was performed at the Queen’s House in Greenwich and in Stockton High Street as part of Stockton's International Riverside Festival. It was viewed by sell-out audiences in both locations. The Guardian review concludes: ‘There are no limitations here, just glorious liberation, as the performers fly across the sky and the world explodes all around them.’ 'Prometheus Awakes' led the way as one of largest and most successful disability art-led international outdoor events ever seen in the UK. Assisted by the skills and technology of La Fura dels Baus, it led the way in the drive for accessibility. 'Prometheus Awakes' was a London 2012 Festival event and received an Arts Council England grant of £4,500.