Special Projects
You can also listen to
a special interview with Lou - hosted by Guardian Dance Writer Sanjoy Roy.
Lou's Dramaturgy Workshop for 101 Outdoor Arts
Lou also applies her dramaturgical thinking to a wide range of other contexts.
Artists and arts leaders from across the sector often come to Lou for her trademark
‘intentional creative thinking to check, challenge and expand’ along with her welcoming and friendly delivery.
Here are just a few examples of the kinds of Special Projects Lou gets involved in:
Courses –In recent years Lou has run the hugely successful Doing Dramaturgy – a 6 day online course for performance makers and dramaturgs across the UK, Europe and Australia. A busy schedule meant it was not possible in 2024, but the course will be back in Spring 2025.
Lou also offers bespoke teaching programmes. For example she ran a 3 day course for MA performance makers at Codarts in Rotterdam.
Organisational Dramaturgy – Lou applies the principles of dramaturgy to organisations, their teams and their projects. For example, Lou has been Associate Dramaturg of South East Dance for more than 10 years, working 1 to 1 with Artistic Director Cath James, and supporting the team on internal and external projects.
Programme Dramaturgy – Lou can take a lead role in developing and curating creative programmes. For example, she was Dramaturg and Artistic Advisor on Little Big Dance – a 5-year national programme aimed at developing quality dance works for 0-5 year olds.
Stakeholder Consultations – Lou’s direct and friendly approach can help organisations find out what their stakeholders really think or need. For example, Lou recently facilitated a city-wide consultation for Bradford Producing Hub, which included online discussions, an away day and a final report.
Makiko Aoyama and Takeshi Matsumoto in Takeshi Matsumoto's Club Origami - created as part of Little Big Dance. Photo by Summer Dean
Away Day Facilitation – Lou employs the principles of dramaturgy to make organisational Away Days efficient, enjoyable and productive. Recent away days have been facilitated for Stopgap Dance, Rhiannon Faith Company and Greenwich Dance.
Public Conversations and Podcasts – Lou regularly hosts scratch nights, pre & post show audience discussions and panel conversations.
She also hosted two seasons of the successful podcast Downtime – Talking To Artists and Arts Leaders, still available on all podcast platforms. Guests include Lloyd Newson, Sasha Waltz, Michael Keegan-Dolan, Cathay Marston, Jonzi D and Claire Cunningham.
