Today we are speaking with Noah Heathcote, a current student on the Contemporary Performance Practices, Drama, Applied Theatre and Education (DATE) course about a couple of the projects that he is currently working on.
Tell us a bit about your previous work
I worked at C&T on Prospero, which is an online utility that enables anyone to mix and blend drama, kinaesthetic learning and digital technologies. I was working with Dr Paul Sutton, Artistic Director and founder of C&T, a respected applied theatre practitioner, teacher, academic and author.
In this role, I learned to work on a board, making online lesson plans for students with different abilities. This is what inspired me to make my short film, gain skills in editing and co-manage a project for them in Kenya, Nairobi.
How did you get involved?
I got involved with my current projects by myself due to the restrictions of the pandemic. Personally, I have felt this has been a huge learning curve for me to develop my practice in a variety of areas from film, to outreach projects, directing, cinematography and theoretical understanding - specifically in the realms of psychogeography and gamification within a theatrical setting.
What are you currently getting up to?
My current project includes a short-film and a community project called Gameful, that explores how we can use gamification within our everyday lives to strategically help us through life’s uncertainties. I have done various interviews and have have had offers from a variety of participants that have spoken, created and shared what the word loss means to them.
Alongside this I have a film that reflects my reaction to the word loss. It’s Calling Me is a first short film that looks at a boy in search for something after the loss of his mother. It’s a journey of discovery, and re-configuration with the land and himself. He tries to follow the signs around him but it’s hard to know what’s real as things start to blend with the virtual world.
How have your projects related to your coursework?
All of this work is largely inspired by the units taken in first and second year, from site-specific theatre to my fascination in film, it is the theory that has deepened my current practice to be what it is. The evolution of each year has brought me into fruition.
What has surprised you most about your experience?
That the course gives you the language and awareness of my own capabilities. Previously, I knew I had a love for theatre and social work, but now I can move that into action. It’s a really exciting time too for theatre, because the rules are changing and that allows for new avenues to arise.
Noah’s film, It’s Calling Me, reflects his reaction to the word loss and can be viewed below:
How did you find out about Central and decide to study with us?
I knew I wanted to do something in performing arts, but I didn’t want to just do acting. Fortunately while in-between jobs, I was carer for a while and during that time I found that Central’s Contemporary Performance Practices, Drama, Applied Theatre and Education (DATE) was a course that blended both theatre and social work. It was a no-brainer for me
What are you planning to do after graduation?
I like to keep things open because I appreciate the art of uncertainty. I have created my theatre company Gameful, which was the basis of my film. Following on from that, I want to embed games theatre and playfulness within our streets using geo location-based technology. To create something that will bring theatre to our whole surrounding, not just limited to a building.
To keep up with Noah, you can follow him on Instagram @nheathcote. To learn more about his film and other projects, you can check out his website. To access participants offers, visit Gameful: Your World in a New Way on Facebook.
