Professional Portfolio
LISTEN; CAN YOU HEAR THE FISH CRY?
Embodied Audio Stories around the impact of Climate Crisis on women in Banago, Negros Occidental, the Philippines
A new project for 2024. I am delighted to have been awarded the Connected Through Culture British Council Grant - collaborating with artists from the Philppines to create 4 new audio stories; exploring how we can tell stories through embodied audio performance and connect international audiences sharing experiences and movements simultaneously. I am super excited to be working with Binhi Creatives - an art school that I helped set-up 20 years ago, alongside Edmund Bacia and Jet Divinigracia.
PLAY INSIDE : SERIES 2
How to be a Real Man or the Availability of Air
Play Inside Series 2: How to be a Real Man or The Availability of Air is a selection of embodied audio stories from writers from Palestine, Egypt and the UK, funded by the British Council International Collaboration Fund and directed by UK artists Michelle Roche and Rosie Poebright (Splash and Ripple) in collaboration with Dawar Arts, Egypt and The Freedom Theatre, Palestine
Play Inside : Other Mothers
In collaboration with Splash & Ripple, funded by the Arts Council emergency Fund - responding to covid - we created a series of 4 embodied audio journey's - experiences that take place in the listeners's home, mirroring the journey of the voice that you are listening to. Stories circling loose themes of motherhood. Simplifying Splash & Ripple's usual digital tech approach to performance, we were able to create an award winning series (www.digitaldozens.org/). We have also just received an £75k grant from the British Council International Collaboration Fund working with Dawar Arts, Cairo, and The Freedom Theatre, Palestine - to create the next series of stories, with 9 writers, Michelle being one of the writers, as well being overall co-creator. Play Inside is also in the Caravan Assembly Conference 2022, at Brighton Festival.
The Newtown Wishlist
Lead Artist. Commissioned by Trinity Community Arts and Arts Council England. Working closely with Newtown Residents - a 'hard to reach' area in Bristol, we created a series of events in response to the 'What I want to see, What I want to be' project - a collection of 'wishes' from the community and surrounding areas. From coffee morning to door-knocking, we created a weekly lantern making group, a Newtown Playlist - celebrating the diversity of the community with songs chosen by the community - with over 60 songs from many different cultures, a community painting, and culminating in a community lantern parade with musicians dotted around the community playing songs from the playlist.
Peckover House Project
Lead Artist. Heritage youth VR project. Commissioned by Norfolk and Norwich Festival, National Trust and Common Ground. In collaboration with Coop Innovations - created a VR gallery space in response to Peckover House - a quaker owned National Trust property in Wisbech.
Developing Your Creative Practice Grant Recipient
Currently working on DYCP Arts Council Award - R & D on 3 projects - 1) The Egg and Sperm Race - a story about being a 2nd generation, multi-heritage woman, and the social pressures of becoming a mother, or not. 2) Filipina Nurses - in collaboration with filmmaker Naomi Waring - R &D for a short film about my mum and her fellow Filipinas coming to the UK as nurses in the 70's & 80's - especially as the shortage of nurses here, now 40 years on, is becoming headline news. 3) R & D for another Play Inside in collaboration with Trans Men, and using the tools of embodied journeys' to deepen our understanding and compassion for the journeys that trans men go through, in our society.
Listen I'm here for you
Digital Storyteller. 2021. Commissioned by Knowle West Media Centre, Bristol - Listen, I'm here for you - is an audio piece that you can call up and listen to from any phone. In response to the other artists on the Come Together Project, this piece invites the listener to 'have a cup of tea' with Michelle, creating connections through digital realms. The postcard was designed by commissioned artist Mary Hart.
Please call 01174631815 to have a cup of tea with me
Secret Date Club
Lead Artist. From 2013 - 2015 created over 100 dates, re-emerging in 2019 at Port Elliot Festival where we created 19 dates in 3 days. "YOU ARE THE BEST It was like being on telly without the camera's! I SO enjoyed the intrigue and surprise! Just WOW! Was the BEST thing ever x "
wonderful journeys to untold places made just for two boat trips and flower ladies and envelopes with your names on them, beautiful rooftops and basements and picnics and drivers that know where you’re going (but.you.do.not), places you didn’t know existed, Luigi and his one-winged parrot, jars of honey to be delivered, packages from cloakrooms that weren’t left by you. Maybe. We can’t admit to anything. Except that this is your date and this is all about you. simply. having. a. lovely. time. together. planned. by. us.
We meticulously plan incredible, edible, delightfully magical, surprise filled experiences for you and your date, making your adventure together effortlessly exciting.
THE WONDER CLUB
Founder, Co-director, Co-producer, writer
Large scale immersive performance in non-traditional spaces - created to break down barriers of who theatre is for..
‘Ambitious and imaginative work..genuinely thrilling.’
*** Lyn Gardner, The Guardian (The Lamentable Tragedy)
‘What the Wonder Club has achieved both in The Juniper Tree and in At Tether’s End is truly remarkable. They somehow harness the skills and talent of scores of artists to create truly beautiful installation art. This provides the perfect setting to take audiences into other weird and wonderful worlds. This is event making not just theatre making. Hundreds of people show up to see their work – people who do not usually go to the theatre. They are a force to be reckoned with!’
Katie Keeler, Creative Producer, Theatre Bristol
Funding awards received from Arts Council England, Heritage Lottery, Arts in empty spaces, Bristol City Council, 2QAB and co-productions with Tobacco Factory and Theatre Bristol and the Old Vic Tunnels headlining The Vault festival. www.thewonderclub.co.uk
Original Writing Directing and Producing for The Wonder Club
Don’t Stray from the Path (2012)
The Gallery of Words (2011)
Red Playshop (2010)
The Lamentable Tragedy (2010)
At Tether’s End (2008)
The Juniper Tree (2008)
The Old Vic Tunnels (The VAULT Festival), London, UK The Gallery of Words, Mayfair, London, UK elsewhere Arts Collective, Greensboro, NC, USA The Old Motorcycle Showrooms, Bristol, England UK Trinity Centre, Bristol, England, UK
Jubilee House, Bristol, England, UK
