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?Street theatre is perceived as jugglers with dirty trainers? announced some peevish Natural Theatre Company blurb some years back. Nowadays the public?s vision of street arts has moved on to include large continental performance groups who suspend whole orchestras from giant revolving palm trees. And, declares Ralph Oswick, the Naturals are still peeved! For thirty-five years now, Natural Theatre Company has espoused character-based micro-theatre, depicting a meticulously observed, accessible parallel universe. More ?Little Britain? than Olympic Games Opening Ceremony.

With the help of The British Council, the company has travelled around the world representing a very special export? British humour. Thus, in China, a country unused to free-form outdoor performance, a local greeted our pompous bowler-hatted city gent characters with ?Good morning, stereotypical gentlemen!? We have floundered in the surf at Ipanema, clutching our matching bright pink suitcases and nearly drowning while several hundred guffawing Brazilians looked on. Dressed as weeping brides, we collapsed gasping to the ground in front of shoppers in Quito who couldn?t distinguish between performance art and actors with altitude sickness.

More by luck than judgement we originally chose a style that transcended language barriers, and ever since our office has resembled a travel agency. One could wax on in art-speak about the socio-economic repercussions of our work ? and, indeed, one does just that when applying for grants (or perhaps when writing for ArtsProfessional!) ? but in Joe Public-speak the world over it?s simply ?Let?s stop shopping for a moment and look at some art?. Hang on, that does have socio-economic repercussions!

But where were the theorists when we got hit with a brick in Bexley, or were kidnapped by an unbalanced bus driver in Turkmenistan? Performing seemingly uninvited ? and certainly unannounced ? right there in the high streets of the world is not without its dangers. Do Japanese police have guns?(1) Is it advisable for men to cross-dress in public in Egypt?(2) Would working class Muslims find our ?nude? characters funny?(3) (For answers learnt the hard way, see below)

Of course, we have been arrested, but only in England and Holland, liberal bastions both. Do not say arrogantly, as I did, ?Excuse me, officer, I get an Arts Council grant for doing this?. He hit me. But that was a long time ago. These days we?ve always got a local authority permit to hand or a festival official lurking, the en suite hotel rooms are waiting, and the fee paid, along with the third-party insurance and the congestion charge. Production values are as high as they would be with a stage show.

Our work is mad, risky, and liable to either fail dismally or rise to spectacular heights. As it said in our old cheesy, promotional blurb, ?Anything can happen in a Natural Theatre performance?. And it does. Our actors are placed in direct contact with the audience, who on most occasions become willing participants in the ensuing mayhem. There are no red velvet curtains, no footlights and no technical wizardry in between. And definitely no dirty trainers.

It?s about the most public that art can get.

Ralph Oswick is Artistic Director of the Natural Theatre Company.
t: 01225 469131;
e: ralph@naturaltheatre.co.uk;
w: http://www.naturaltheatre.co.uk

Answers:
(1) No, but they have very big sticks
(2) Definitely not. But I wouldn?t recommend it in Bexley either.
(3) Yes. Despite what the middle-class white organiser insisted.