Ikebana

 Ikebana is led by Jonathan McGrath, and aims to create multi-sensory stimulation including site-specific performances, and wherein the smell and temperature of a performance space is as calculated as the text and the way the performer presents it to the audience.

The company enjoys the status of Associate artist at greenroom, and has had an 'At Home' Residency for emerging artists at Contact. This residency produced Skittish, a dysfunctional romantic comedy about falling in love with strangers, which was later reproduced to launch Contact’s Autumn season 2004, and also at the Royal Court, London; earning itself a nomination best new play at Manchester Evening News Theatre Awards.

Ikebana is an ancient form of Japanese flower arranging wherein the selection of flowers are held with equal importants to their vessel and upon which surface they are placed and in which room and light. All factors that make the experience are manipulated.

We make theatrical performative experiences with the same philosophy in mind. Our goal is to build immersive performative compositions wherein an audience member can physically explore the environment that the performance inhabits.

A romantic childhood fascination with fairground ghost trains is being indulged and explored in all of Ikebana’s shows.

Ikebana Performance draw’s from the history of experimentation within theatrical practice and gradually re write the contract between its audience and its performances. We want to literally take our audience by the hand and lead it or drag it through a production.

The Director:
Son of a Circus clown and former Catholic Nun Jonathan McGrath trained in classical theatre acting and graduated in 2000. Upon graduating Jonathan moved to London and began work as a commercial actor making his professional film debut in The Final Curtain. Within 6 months the excitement of being a commercial actor wore off and was replaced by boredom with the vapid nature of the acting profession.