Performer call out – The Desire Paths

We are looking for performers or artists who know York to be part of our team for The Desire Paths from 16-18 September. The Desire Paths is a conversational, durational performance that involves drawing a street map on the floor with chalk, talking to the public and inviting them to rename a street after a hope or dream for the future. It also involves listening to any stories they tell you about themselves and/or the town, and maybe telling those stories back at the end of the project.

You can see photos and video of indoor and outdoor versions of the show here.

We’re working in partnership with Third Angel to present the performance in Exhibition Square so it will be an outdoor version, right in the city centre. As visiting artists, Third Angel will do some research into the history of the street names in York, but they know from experience that it helps to have some people on the team who already know the streets and areas of town.

We are looking for 2 performers interested and/or experienced in engaging with the public, gathering stories (so listening and telling), drawing/writing in performance. You might be an actor interested in exploring more task-based performance, a visual artist interested in installation and performance, a performance artist, or anything in between.

It is three days work: one prep day, then two days performing: probably 6 hours a day plus breaks! We can pay £120/day for freelance performers, with per diems for food and drink on top. If you’re interested, we would love to meet up and have a chat.

If this sounds like something you’d be interested in joining, there is an initial meeting with York Theatre Royal and Third Angel teams on Tuesday 24 August – exact times/location TBC (expected between 11am-6pm depending on availability). We will be running a site visit in the city centre, talking to interested performers and finalising the plans for the event in September. If you’re interested in joining us please get in touch directly with York Theatre Royal by emailing megan.bailey@yorktheatreroyal.co.uk or calling 01904 715447.