C I V I L I S A T I O N
by Jaz Woodcock-Stewart with Morgann Runacre-Temple
A day in the life of a woman following a tragic event.
An experiment in theatrical realism and contemporary dance, Civilisation is a sideways look at the untheatrical reality of loss.
In November 2021, Civilisation was awarded the Jury Prize at Fast Forward Festival, European Festival for Young Stage Directors at Dresden Staatsschauspiel.
The statement of the international jury, which this year includes Kate Craddock, Janis El-Bira, Kamilė Gudmonaitė and Joachim Klement:
"In her creation CIVILISATION, Jaz Woodcock-Stewart, in collaboration with Morgann Runacre-Temple, circles the void that opens up after the loss of a loved one. By fusing theater and dance, the present and the absent, music and silence, a form emerges that speaks eloquently about a catastrophe for which there are no words. The jury would especially like to recognize the work of the entire ensemble, which opens the space for the creation of their own narratives about experiences that every human being must go
through.”
In 2022, Civilisation was invited to Radikal Jung at Munich Volkstheater
Complex, raw and insensibly smart...I could watch it forever. Under Jaz Woodcock-Stewart’s astute direction, nothing is of note and everything is noticed.
★★★★ THE GUARDIAN
A profound piece of visual poetry...Civilisation is many things at once: theatre, dance, performance art, illuminating and baffling, hilarious and heart-breaking.
★★★★ THE LIST
Civilisation has immense confidence and wears its broken heart with a dignified sorrow. This is a show about loss and grief which begins by appearing to be about a single woman’s grief in the wake of a death but becomes about collective loss, the need to move beyond grief for what we have built and for what has been destroyed to create a new world...
Jaz Woodcock-Stewart has always had a consistent willingness to push at the boundaries and play with form. That's something that is all too rare with UK companies, and Antler's Civilsation is no different as it shifts from one form into another as it dances its way across the stage with under-stated authority. It is like quietly watching a bruise spread.
LYN GARDNER, STAGE DOOR
With poise and precision, Civilisation conjures a dreadful kind of beauty
BEN KULCHIVIT, EXEUNT
Wonderfully understated, this snapshot of civilisation is fascinating in its mundanity
★★★★ REVIEWS HUB
Directed by Jaz Woodcock-Stewart
Choreography by Morgann Runacre-Temple and the company
Produced by Antler
2019 Shows; performed by Alethia Antonia, James Olivo, Sophie Steer, Emily Thompson-Smith, Seda Yildiz
2021/2022 shows performed by Brannon Yau, James Olive, Emily Thompson-Smith, Imogen Alvares, Stefania Pinato, Caroline Maroney, Claire Gaydon
Designed by Charlotte Espiner
Lighting Designer Alex Fernandes
Producer Eve Allin
Production Manager Ethan Hudson
Videography Richard Perryman
Production photos Alex Brenner
Developed with Lise Smith, Claire Gaydon, Laura Lorenzi, Fern Grimbley, Jack Anderson, Chihiro Kawasaki, Gabriella Schmidt, Amy Drew and Riley Wolf
Performance History
First Drafts, The Yard, 2018
Underbelly, Edinburgh Fringe, 2019
Produced by Antler, supported by New Diorama, HOME and Battersea Arts Centre
New Diorama, two week run at NDT 2020 (cancelled due to Covid)
Fast Forward Festival, Hellerau/Dresden Staatsschauspiel, 2021
Winner of the Jury Prize
Radikal Jung, Munich, 2022
Horizon, British Council Showcase, Edinburgh Festival, 2022
UK Tour including Shoreditch Town Hall, Cambridge Junction, Arnolfini (presented by MAYK), HOME Manchester, 2022