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PERFORMANCE // WRITING // VOICE WORK // WORKSHOPS // VISUAL ART // ACTING // DIRECTING // FILMS
River Adur Duet
During the Summer lockdown of 2020 - between two new moons, I explored the river that I live on as research for a performance called ‘River Adur Duet’, commissioned by Farnham Maltings to reflect this extraordinary time and connect with my local community in Shoreham-by-Sea.
I live on a boat, in an estuary, which means that twice a day the tide comes in and out. It is a neither / nor place - not land and not sea. Not fresh water and not salty.
It is brackish and wild. It is in-between.
The tide seemed a perfect metaphor for this moment; the river a perfect environment to create a live performance that could be socially distant.
A ritual dance
in, and with, the river.
River Adur Duet is a performance created by Emma Frankland, supported by Farnham Maltings. Film by Rosie Powell.
Rituals For Change
“We who are changing
We who invite trouble
We who leave this place different from when we came in”
First performed in 2016 and since performed across the UK and at festivals around the world (including Mix Festival, Sao Paolo and UK:ID, Jakarta) Rituals for Change was a series of performed rituals, responding to my gender transition and to universal feelings about change - especially in relation to our bodies.
Critically acclaimed, Rituals for Change used materials with different transformative properties - such as water, clay, earth, salt and ink - to create strong visual imagery which was messy, intense and celebratory.
In 2019 it was transformed into a film, in collaboration with Rosie Powell, which can be found at the bottom of this page. The film was awarded Best Cinematography at Trans Pride Brighton Film Festival and has been screened at festivals around the world.
For enquiries regarding live performances, public screenings or talks in relation to this production, please get in touch.
“The radical act is to exist.
The radical act is to be seen,
To choose to allow others to see these radical bodies.
To allow ourselves to heal is the radical act”
Rituals for Change was created in collaboration with Myriddin Pharo, Ivor MacAskill and Keir Cooper. It is featured in “None of Us is Yet a Robot - Five Performances on Gender Identity and the Politics of Transition”.
Emma Frankland’s euphoric Rituals for Change is [a] near- perfect twinning of content and form. A hymn to mutability, an earthy, messy sacrament to constant evolution and alteration, it charts her gender transition in a series of gnomic, interlocking actions.’
* * * * * The Stage
'immensely lyrical... explicitly political’
The Scotsman ****
“Brave, tender and brilliant.”
Matt Trueman **** WOS
"This is a private, beautiful, evocative piece of theatre. It is story- telling at its simplest and bravest”
Liz Allum, British Theatre GUIDE
We Dig
We Dig was an exhilarating theatre project led by Emma, alongside a company of trans performers. Built from conversations with trans women and trans feminine people around the world, particularly the UK, Indonesia and Turtle Island (Canada), We Dig centred around the actual excavation of a giant hole - a literal representation of a queer community needing to bury itself for protection. It formed part of the closing season of OvalHouse Theatre, one of several unique commissions to help demolish the historic building through performance.
We Dig was a collaborative devised process with other trans artists, including Travis Alabanza, Morgan M Page and Tamarra.
We Dig was performed by a changing company of trans femmes, with a surprise guest performer each night.
“mournful and magnificent”.
Lyn Gardner, Stagedoor
“Frankland skilfully weaves multiple themes together. We Dig is a well-structured and powerfully direct piece of theatre that mines the earth to create an illuminating and enthralling performance.”
The Stage
“Emma does what you expect, providing strong eloquent monologues, even whilst operating a pneumatic drill”.
LGBTQ Arts Review
Some Daddies are Ladies
Filmed by My Generation for Stonewall as part of their Trans Allies Programme.
The Gender Roadshow
Through performances, workshops and conversation The Gender Roadshow was a project that celebrated trans, non-binary and genderfluid identities, with Emma’s ‘euphoric’ Rituals for Change performed each night at East Street Arts.
This performance was preceded daily by daytime talks at Wharf Chambers and post show events at Live Art Bistro completing a programme of dynamic and engaging activities to elevate the discussion around trans identity.
Supported by the Wellcome Trust
Calabai Jangen
Emma’s first collaboration with Indonesian performance artist, Tamarra, was in January 2019, when they travelled together to South Sulawesi to spend time with members of the Bissu community there.
Bissu are often cited as celebrating multiple genders, and held as examples that trans people “have always been here” but spending time with Bissu shamans, being welcomed, tolerated and embraced by them was incredible.
There is danger in assuming a universal trans experience - the Bissu have long celebrated multiple gender identities but their history of veneration, persecution and survival is unique.
It was a life changing trip and the small group (including Emma’s child Joey) were allowed to witness far more than expected
Tamarra and Emma made a subsequent shared ritual performance and documentary of the trip named Calabai Jangeng (literally - Crazy Trans Women) a term of beautiful endearment that was shouted loudly throughout our 10 day road trip!
The trip was supported by British Council Indonesia.