Lou Corben

Education

Equipment

My Equipment/Kit:

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About me

In 2015 I set up Marvellous Machine Theatre Company, which specialises in collaborative, “home-spun” theatre. We have so far created fresh and original adaptations of well-known texts, most recently, Orlando by Virginia Woolf, a 90-year-old novel which has incredible resonances with today’s LGBTQ+ movements. The show included live music and Foley, shadow puppetry and movement. We specifically recruited from the Oxford LGBTQIA+ community, and we hosted a post-show talk with a female trans academic from Oxford University. When Woolf sat down in 1927 to write Orlando, her intention was to pen “a joke… a writer’s holiday”, but the 90-year-old story has serious resonance with today’s queer politics beneath its fun and frivolous surface. Our warm and funny production embraced both the fun and the seriousness of Woolf’s novel. To begin our exploration into the text, we played with character constructs, switching parts from actor to actor. What, we wondered, does a man’s experience bring to the portrayal of Queen Elizabeth I, and what does a young woman bring to the portrayal of a 16th Century Russian Sea Captain? Woolf believed that “the androgynous mind is resonant and porous …naturally creative, incandescent”, so this approach seemed to connect wonderfully with Orlando. I find that this process brings a level of spontaneity and openness to the rehearsal process early on.

Our first show was an adaptation of another story by Angela Carter, The Tiger’s Bride, which played two sold-out runs. I first became interested in adapting this story whilst writing my dissertation for my Bachelor's Degree in Drama at the University of Lincoln. My dissertation was an exploration of how magic and the supernatural can be represented in the theatre and the idea that the collective experience of seeing a piece of performance can create its own sort of “magic”, relating to the spiritual and religious origin of theatre and drama. So when looking for a story to adapt, I specifically looked for one which incorporated elements of the supernatural and would, therefore, require imagination and invention to portray on stage. Audience feedback was that they had felt transported to another “world”.

Rather than taking a traditional approach to casting, Marvellous Machine Theatre Company develops shows by bringing together a group of adventurous and playful performers and then later working out how that specific company will tell this story. The process is very collaborative; our first few rehearsals are usually spent familiarising the whole company with the story, and discussing the intended aesthetic look and “feel” of the play. As well as reading the original story aloud, we experiment with different actors playing different characters so that we can explore what different energies could be brought to each character before definitively casting. I find that this process brings a level of spontaneity and openness to the rehearsal process early on.

Though I intend to continue my work with Marvellous Machine Theatre Company in the long term, at the moment I am looking to expand my experience outside of the company and I’m always looking for new challenges. Recently, my work outside of Marvellous Machine has included Edge for Slackline Productions at Southwark Playhouse, Red as Rubies for Kibo Productions at Theatro Technis, Womb to Tomb for RoundPeg Theatre at the Drayton Arms Pub & Theatre, Thing for Bee In My Beanie at the Lion & Unicorn, and I am currently working on Dream Lover for Here & Queer Productions at the Drayton Arms Pub & Theatre.

I have highly developed communication and interpersonal skills with a natural ability to communicate diplomatically and effectively with people at all levels in a polite, approachable and professional manner. I am driven and passionate about furthering my career, a self-starter, able to work on my own initiative as well as collaboratively.
Lou Corben
Referees:
available on request

License & Passport

Skills

Secondary Job Title	Director
Job Titles	Prop Maker, Teacher, General Staff, Casting Director, Marketing / PR, Creative Director, Lighting Tech / Operator, Props Assistant / Support, Props Buyer, Director, Props Master, Production Support, Production Coordinator, Stage Manager, 1st AD (Assistant Director), Production Assistant (PA), Producer
Years in industry	6+ years