ivo, a theatre duo founded in 2013, has been chosen as the recipient of Routes North 2015/16 with their show In The Vice Like Grip of It.
ivo are Olivia Furber and Jo Tyabji, theatre makers who specialise in creating performances that are directly influenced by the place they are in.
Together, they make work that is ‘site responsive’ and ‘nomadic’ meaning they constantly move around to inspire new pieces of work. They perform for and with people who may not think theatre is for them, using digital and live routes to meet new audiences.
In The Vice Like Grip Of It explores the impact of contemporary surveillance on our relationship with the state, and the bearing our intimacy with technology has on this. It merges physical theatre and the micro-naturalism of close camera work. It ask the question; ‘what happens when you are in a relationship with someone who is always watching you and from whom you have no privacy?’. The show plays with our perceptions of live-ness and the ability of our personal devices such as phones and laptops to ‘betray us’.
Previous work by ivo has included an interactive performance in a library at night and individually they have presented shows in a glue factory and even a car park.
They are currently supported by the North East Development Network for the development of In The Vice Like Grip of It which will now be developed further and eventually toured through Routes North. It will be performed at ARC, Stockton, The Lowry and Theatre in the Mill next year.
Routes North is a partnership initiative between ARC, Stockton; The Lowry, Salford and Theatre in the Mill, Bradford to help make theatre happen in the North of England. All three of the partner venues are heavily committed to artist development, and came together in 2012 to offer a package of support to help enable one artist/company to make and tour a new piece of work.
Each year, the initiative supports an emerging professional artist or company to make a new piece of work. The venues provide rehearsal space along with performance dates in each of the venues, plus advice, support and guidance throughout the production process.