The Jean Genie: Why Jean Genet Still Matters.

In Plymouth (And Lots of Other Places). Right Now.

An afternoon of talks and talking at Plymouth Arts Centre
Sunday, 29 June 2014

WHY?

Thank you for joining in this exploration of why the work of French writer, dramatist, film-
maker and activist, Jean Genet, remains so powerful and relevant nearly 30 years after his
death. This afternoon is the culmination of a project called Heaven on Earth? that has
produced a touring theatre production and a film, and is engaging practitioners, participants
and audiences across Europe – from Athens to Zaragoza, from Istanbul to Plymouth. The
project is inspired by Genet’s poetic vision and ethical commitment, especially to those
excluded from mainstream society, and focuses on the dynamics between people and ports.

This event will be videoed and we plan to put some of it online. We very much hope you will
contribute to our discussions but please be aware that, if you do so, you may be featured in
documentation that is made publicly accessible.

WHAT & WHEN? (Timings below are slightly flexible.)

1 pm Registration. Mingling. Kissing each other lightly on the cheeks in friendly

manner if desired. Ice cream.

1.15 pm Welcome. Introducing Jean Genet and the Heaven on Earth? Project
(Roberta Mock)

2 pm Jean Genet and the Sanctuary of the Sea (Clare Finburgh)

"When sailors lost their way in loneliness and fog, water and endless pitching, perhaps hoping
never to emerge, they also ventured verbally, making such discoveries as shoals, Finisterres,
breakers, tribes, baobabs, Niagaras, dogfish (Jean Genet, Prisoner of Love). In this paper, Clare
explores the idea of the ocean in Genet’s works as a sanctuary for poetic imagination, and for
political possibility.

2.40 pm Each Man Kills the Thing He Loves

2.45 pm Break for comfort. And some snacks. And a nice drink.

3.15 pm The Road to Heaven is Under Construction (Vana Pefani)

Vana Pefani and members of her creative team will be discussing their production, Heaven on
Earth?, which is currently being performed in Plymouth as part of a European tour.

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3.40 pm Queer in Plymouth: The Port, the Parade and a sense of Pride (Alan
Butler)

We must stay awake tonight without sitting or lying down each of us, to guard ourselves
against the packs (Jean Genet, La Parade ). In this paper, Alan will consider the queer legacy
of Plymouth's history with particular attention to its naval traditions. He will explore how this
has impacted on the sense of identity for its LGBT communities and also presentations of pride
within the city.

4.15 pm PREMIERE of Heaven is a Place, introduced by Kayla Parker. Screening followed

by timed writing exercise and talk back.

A port is a landscape suspended, janus-faced, vertiginous, neither land nor sea. Inspired by the
writing of Jean Genet, this dance film made by Kayla Parker (director), Ruth Way
(choreographer) and Roberta Mock (producer) explores becoming, melancholy, and the erotics
of place through the human geography of a specific port. Integrating a range of movement-
based practices, Heaven is a Place arises from collaboration with emergent professional
performers and members of Plymouth's LGBTQ community.

5 pm Close of play.

BUT if you haven’t already, tonight is your last chance to experience…

7.30 pm Heaven on Earth? (Odysseia Theatre Company) in the Roland Levinsky Theatre,
Plymouth University (tickets must be purchased from Peninsula Arts box office)

This poetic, physical theatre production, directed by Vana Pefani and performed by an
international ensemble of actors, dancers and acrobats, starts when a bottle is found washed
up in a harbour. The performance tells the magical story of one of life’s castaways, who writes
to save his soul and regain lost time. Anything is possible when a bridge is forged between
reality and illusion. Performed in Greek, with projected English translation.

WHO?

Alan Butler is a PhD candidate at Plymouth University and co-director of Pride in Plymouth,
an organisation that brings people together to celebrate and promote the diversity that exists
within the city’s LGBT communities. He worked as community liaison for the making of Heaven
is a Place.

Clare Finburgh is Senior Lecturer in Modern Drama at the University of Essex, who has
published widely on Jean Genet. She has co-written Jean Genet (with David Bradby, 2011), on
Genet’s plays in production. She has also co-edited Genet: Performance and Politics (with Carl

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Lavery and Maria Shevtsova, 2006) and Contemporary French Theatre and Performance (with
Carl Lavery, 2011).

Roberta Mock is a performance theorist, historian and practitioner who focuses on the body,
gender and sexuality. She is Professor of Performance Studies and Director of the Doctoral
Training Centre in the Arts & Humanities at Plymouth University. Her books include Jewish
Women on Stage, Film & Television; Performance, Embodiment and Cultural Memory (as co-
editor with Colin Counsell); and Walking, Writing and Performance (as editor).

Kayla Parker is an artist filmmaker who explores subjectivity and sense of place in her
practice using photography, sound, film, performance, found objects, drawing, writing, and
digital technologies. Her films have received numerous network screenings on the BBC, ITV
and Channel 4; her work is shown worldwide at film festivals, in exhibitions and in touring
programmes, with television broadcasts in Australia, Canada, France, Austria, and Germany.
Kayla is a lecturer in media arts at Plymouth University.

Vana Pefani is an actor, writer and director. Her stage credits include Tis Pity She s a Whore,
The Taming of the Shrew, The Bald Soprano / The Lesson and Orpheus Descending. She has
performed in numerous films and television series, most recently Ta mystika tis Edem (Secrets
of Eden, 2008-2010). She is Professor of Acting at the Drama School of Petras.

Ruth Way is a dancer, choreographer, film-maker and somatic movement practitioner. Her
films with Russell Frampton include Enclave (2003), Utah Sunshine (2008) and Blind Torrent
(2012). From 1996 to 2006, she performed and choreographed with Lusty Juventus physical
theatre, a company she co-founded with Chris Hall and Roberta Mock. Ruth is Associate Head
of School for Performing Arts at Plymouth University.

SHOUTS:

This event is the result of a partnership between the Humanities, Music & Performing Arts
(HuMPA) Research Centre at Plymouth University, Plymouth Arts Centre and Pride in
Plymouth, with the support of the Culture Programme of the European Union.

It has been co-ordinated with amazing aplomb by Beth Richards.

For more information about the Heaven on Earth? project, please visit:
http://www.heavenonearth2014.eu/