Shakespeare 400: the Year of the She-Wolf

Kicking off our new series on By Jove’s recently announced ‘season of violent women’, our co-artistic director David Bullen tells us why this year is the year of Shakespeare’s infamous She-Wolf of France… 2016 marks the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death. It may seem a little odd to commemorate the playwright’s death, but it has provided ample opportunity for pretty much every theatrical institution in the country to do something bard-oriented. This has meant a whole Read more

By David Bullen, ago
Pride flag

PANTHEON: A Poem on Orlando

By Jove’s resident poet Alexander Woodward shares something he wrote about the attack on Pulse in Orlando. The poem starts below the flag if you want to skip the intro. Hello. My name is Alexander Woodward. I am By Jove’s resident poet. As a writing exercise, I am currently doing a 30/30, that is writing thirty poems in thirty days. It’s a good exercise, I recommend it. Scribble some doggerel, share it with the group Read more

By Alexander Woodward, ago

Dropping it Like it’s Hot in the 1810s

Susanna Dye, By Jove artistic associate for movement, dropped in on a physicality workshop for ‘Pride & Prejudice: The Panto’ and has discovered some most fascinating facts about how to flaunt it, Regency style…   As an artistic associate of By Jove and movement director for our upcoming Pride & Prejudice: The Panto, I recently attended a Regency movement workshop led by Dr Elaine McGirr, head of Drama and Theatre at Royal Holloway, University of London, Read more

By Susanna Dye, ago

Un Voyage Théâtral – Part 2

Co-Artistic Director David Bullen returns with the second part of his blog on working with Ariane Mnouchkine, and it wasn’t all a smooth ride…   So, less than 24 hours after Part 1 of this blog was published, I gave myself a concussion.   At the end of the École Nomade’s work on the Saturday of the project, we were all clearing up the theatre space since there was a production – a transfer from Read more

By David Bullen, ago

Un Voyage Théâtral – Part 1

After a summer pause, the By Jove blog resumes this week with the first of two posts by co-artistic director David Bullen, who has been going back to the roots of the company…   This week I stood on a stage and was directed by Ariane Mnouchkine. I was trembling: both from fear and from exhaustion – the improvisation I had just performed with seven others had been a manic three-minute blur. Our bodies were Read more

By David Bullen, ago

Are You Not Entertained?: A Look at Not-Happy Theatre

In this piece Woody discusses why people are so drawn to shows filled with negative emotion Hello. So, I’ve been talking to various of the creative types with whom I kick about, and a question has come up a few times. No doubt those of you more knowledgeable in the ways of the performing arts will find the question facile and blase. I suspect I also know the answer to my question, but the act Read more

By Alexander Woodward, ago

On Page 3 & The Pope

(Alternative title to this post: The Right Way & The Wrong Way for Stopping Something with which You Disagree) Hello, Woody here. It’s an exciting time for the company. Our version of Euripides’ Bacchae will be appearing at the Cockpit Theatre on Monday 9th March. We’re currently in the process of re-writing the text in light of feedback we received after our showing at Senate House Library in 2014 for AMPRAW 2014; don’t worry; it will Read more

By Alexander Woodward, ago

Illusion and Struggle in Thebes

This week Woody explores a half-drunk realisation he had. Hello. So, the other day I had a few beers and sat thinking about our recent production Before They Told You What You Are (for which we may need a shorter title – I shall make a note) when a thought occurred. In this post I shall attempt to express that thought. Partly this is because I think it might interest you, but mostly it’s because my having an interesting Read more

By Alexander Woodward, ago

Playing With Soil: By Jove Goes to an Academic Conference

Woody shares some thoughts on our most recent project   Hello. So, on Tuesday we went into the middle of that London they have now to do a gig at Senate House Library.  We were performing our adaptation of Euripides’ Bacchae, called “Before They Told You What You Are”, to an academic conference called “The Annual Meeting of Postgraduates in Reception of the Ancient World”. It went rather well, so I thought I’d tell you a bit Read more

By Alexander Woodward, ago

In The Woods With Dionysus

This week Woody discusses something he’s been working on for By Jove’s upcoming version of The Bacchae. Hello. I admit I’ve been neglecting the blog recently. I apologise unreservedly for that. You’ll be pleased to know I have at least been doing some useful things for the company. We’ve been having lots of interesting discussions recently, I’ve just been remiss about sharing the fruits of said chats with you. We’re about to go into workshop Read more

By Alexander Woodward, ago