Output details
34 - Art and Design: History, Practice and Theory
University of Northumbria at Newcastle
Facts on the Ground
Following research and development funded by Arts Council of England Facts on the Ground was produced by Live Theatre, Newcastle upon Tyne. Gilroy's authorship is part of a continuing exploration of verbatim/documentary theatre as a form.
Facts on the Ground combines verbatim text with edited testimony and fictional writing based on stories and events from the West Bank region of Palestine. Two sets of interviews were carried out by Gilroy in Israel and the West Bank with those whose lives have been impacted by the construction of the Israeli security fence and the land confiscations, in particular those involved in the cultivation of the olive tree and associated products. Their testimonies provided insight into the daily lives of a community, challenging stereotypical notions of ‘Arab’ society while offering a series of extraordinary stories from quite ‘ordinary’ individuals.
Research questions included 'To what extent does a process which combines the imagined and poetic with verbatim testimony undermine the authenticity associated with the genre of verbatim theatre?' The research also asks conversely 'Does the juxtapositioning of these different forms create something akin to a ‘surrealist jolt’ questioning the assumption that ‘Verbatim theatre’ is inherently authentic and therefore more truthful?' Both questions explore the historical, social and cultural significance of the olive and its production as a lens through which to identify some of the key issues at the heart of arguments over territory, resources and statehood across the Middle East region.
The play was produced as part of Live Theatre’s International New Writing Festival.
Related papers: Motherland; making sense of experience, Gilroy, S. Text and Theatre Symposium, Manchester Metropolitan University, November 2009.
Let’s get real about verbatim: Motherland and Facts on the Ground, Gilroy, S. Authoring Theatre Conference, CSSD, July 2011.
Funded by Arts Council England, Northern Rock Foundation, Newcastle City Council.
