Two Plant Gaysians
Ghost and John, Presented by Hidden Keileon CIC
London
Pleasance London
Main House Cabaret
16:00, 19:30
65 mins
From £15.00
12th Oct & 12th Oct
Meet Ghost and John, a romantic and wholesome pair of gay Asians,
living a beautiful life in London while nurturing hundreds of houseplants
to fill a certain ‘hole’.
Is this a migration story? A gay love story? An ecology story?
Ghost and John weave a captivating narrative from the ephemera of home, dancing nimbly with their green babies across the colder voids of displacement and struggle, following the urge of all life to thrive and flourish.
In a world that wants them to be more yang - bright, hard and masculine, Ghost and John defiantly remain Plant Gaysians.
Come and take part in the Plant Gaysian experience!
This show is:
Quotes from this work’s work-in-process sharing:
‘Innovative storytelling blending technology, dance and light-hearted humour that tackles heavy topics of race, sexual identity and the sense of belonging … Left me feeling hopeful and seen’ Isabella Leung, actor and playwright, finalist Independent Creative Of The Year 2023 Manchester Culture Awards
‘A parable of hopes and struggles in the lives of queer migrant artists, it is alluringly poetic, unflinchingly political and surprisingly funny’ June Ting, Dance Artist and Scholar, UC Santa Barbara
‘A gentle yet unsettling piece. It presents migrant experience in a way I've never seen before, with a unique and distinctive aesthetic’ Kim Pearce, co-Artistic Director at Papergang Theatre
About Ghost and John
Ghost and John are two multidisciplinary artist-researchers, a cultural entrepreneur duo, and a married couple, from computer science and marine biology research backgrounds. They are best known for their collaborative approach to delivering socio-politically pertinent projects, and using technology to create embodied experiences.
As queer migrant artist-researchers from Hong Kong, Ghost and John have developed a dynamic and embodied practice that examines the intricacies of the body and nature, technological advances and folklore accompanying history. Their artworks, usually in the form of performances, installations and videos, focus on the fragmented memories of traumatic experiences related to displacement, relationships, social movement, and technological interaction.
They have been Moving Margins researchers with Internationales Theaterinstitut Berlin (2022), ImPulsTanz danceWEBBERand ATLAS Young Choreographer (2019) and are holders of MA Contemporary Dance, The Place.
As cultural entrepreneurs, Ghost and John collaborate with local governments, community organisers and cultural workers to drive social change through imagination infrastructure building work. They are two of the six co-founders of Hidden Keileon CIC, a cultural enterprise working with migrant and queer people to imagine futures with freedom and justice for all by dreaming and leading multidisciplinary and life-affirming projects.
As a married couple, Ghost and John are always cooking Cantonese dishes and balcony-gardening in their London flat. Their living room is their studio, dance floor and laboratory. They enjoy hosting dinner and board game parties for their close friends, growing new plants from cuttings, watching absurdist and surrealist films and making up new recipes.
Find out more at https://www.ghostandjohn.art/
Production credit:
Directors, choreographers and performers: Ghost and John
Writer: John Chan
Creative technologist: Ghost Chan
Music and sound designer: Angela Wai Nok Hui
Visual designer and stage manager: Jeffrey Choy
Set and floral support: Kelly Loi
Artistic consultant: Kim Pearce
Dramaturg and captioning support: Bonnie Chan
Acting coach: Vinna Law
Clowning coach: Isabella Leung
Costume consultant: Aiden Kwong
Curator: Sandra Lam
Producing consultant: Iris Chan
Audience connector and marketing: Nur Khairiyah Binte Ramli
Photographers: Jane Lam, Deacon Lui
Videographer: Matt Tam
Presenter: Hidden Keileon CIC
Partners: Centre 151, Chisenhale Dance Space, London LGBTQ+ Community Centre
A workshop on the making of this show will be held on 22 Sep 2024 6-8pm at London LGBTQ+ Community Centre. Please head to their website for further information.
Marketing partners:
The Pleasance, Hidden Keileon CIC, Centre 151, Chisenhale Dance Space, Thomas Page Dance, Kakilang, New Earth Theatre, ESEA Green Lion, BESEA.N, Amy Sze Productions.
Is this a migration story? A gay love story? An ecology story?
Ghost and John weave a captivating narrative from the ephemera of home, dancing nimbly with their green babies across the colder voids of displacement and struggle, following the urge of all life to thrive and flourish.
In a world that wants them to be more yang - bright, hard and masculine, Ghost and John defiantly remain Plant Gaysians.
Come and take part in the Plant Gaysian experience!
This show is:
-
Awarded Arts Council England’s Project Grant (2024)
-
Shortlisted for The Charlie Hartill Fund (2024)
-
Previously shown as work-in-process at The Pleasance’s Future
Fest (2023), Camden People’s Theatre (2023), Omnibus Theatre’s
Engine Room (2022)
- Creatively captioned throughout the show
Quotes from this work’s work-in-process sharing:
‘Innovative storytelling blending technology, dance and light-hearted humour that tackles heavy topics of race, sexual identity and the sense of belonging … Left me feeling hopeful and seen’ Isabella Leung, actor and playwright, finalist Independent Creative Of The Year 2023 Manchester Culture Awards
‘A parable of hopes and struggles in the lives of queer migrant artists, it is alluringly poetic, unflinchingly political and surprisingly funny’ June Ting, Dance Artist and Scholar, UC Santa Barbara
‘A gentle yet unsettling piece. It presents migrant experience in a way I've never seen before, with a unique and distinctive aesthetic’ Kim Pearce, co-Artistic Director at Papergang Theatre
About Ghost and John
Ghost and John are two multidisciplinary artist-researchers, a cultural entrepreneur duo, and a married couple, from computer science and marine biology research backgrounds. They are best known for their collaborative approach to delivering socio-politically pertinent projects, and using technology to create embodied experiences.
As queer migrant artist-researchers from Hong Kong, Ghost and John have developed a dynamic and embodied practice that examines the intricacies of the body and nature, technological advances and folklore accompanying history. Their artworks, usually in the form of performances, installations and videos, focus on the fragmented memories of traumatic experiences related to displacement, relationships, social movement, and technological interaction.
They have been Moving Margins researchers with Internationales Theaterinstitut Berlin (2022), ImPulsTanz danceWEBBERand ATLAS Young Choreographer (2019) and are holders of MA Contemporary Dance, The Place.
As cultural entrepreneurs, Ghost and John collaborate with local governments, community organisers and cultural workers to drive social change through imagination infrastructure building work. They are two of the six co-founders of Hidden Keileon CIC, a cultural enterprise working with migrant and queer people to imagine futures with freedom and justice for all by dreaming and leading multidisciplinary and life-affirming projects.
As a married couple, Ghost and John are always cooking Cantonese dishes and balcony-gardening in their London flat. Their living room is their studio, dance floor and laboratory. They enjoy hosting dinner and board game parties for their close friends, growing new plants from cuttings, watching absurdist and surrealist films and making up new recipes.
Find out more at https://www.ghostandjohn.art/
Production credit:
Directors, choreographers and performers: Ghost and John
Writer: John Chan
Creative technologist: Ghost Chan
Music and sound designer: Angela Wai Nok Hui
Visual designer and stage manager: Jeffrey Choy
Set and floral support: Kelly Loi
Artistic consultant: Kim Pearce
Dramaturg and captioning support: Bonnie Chan
Acting coach: Vinna Law
Clowning coach: Isabella Leung
Costume consultant: Aiden Kwong
Curator: Sandra Lam
Producing consultant: Iris Chan
Audience connector and marketing: Nur Khairiyah Binte Ramli
Photographers: Jane Lam, Deacon Lui
Videographer: Matt Tam
Presenter: Hidden Keileon CIC
Partners: Centre 151, Chisenhale Dance Space, London LGBTQ+ Community Centre
A workshop on the making of this show will be held on 22 Sep 2024 6-8pm at London LGBTQ+ Community Centre. Please head to their website for further information.
Marketing partners:
The Pleasance, Hidden Keileon CIC, Centre 151, Chisenhale Dance Space, Thomas Page Dance, Kakilang, New Earth Theatre, ESEA Green Lion, BESEA.N, Amy Sze Productions.
ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCES
Captioned Performances: All
Captioning Type: All shows are creatively captioned.
POST-SHOW Q&A (BSL Interpreted)
There will also be a BSL interpreted post-show talk following the second performance.
Date: Saturday 12th October
Time: From 9pm
Interpreter: Lian Duan
Access Tickets
To book in access tickets including complimentary personal assistant tickets, wheelchair accessible seating or to arrange any additional venue assistance, (such as hearing loops, early venue access or specific seat requests), please contact the box office directly to make your booking.
For more information about our venues and performance spaces, please visit our access pages here.
Phone: 020 7609 1800
Email: [email protected] // [email protected]
