About
Directed by ‘one of the most important feminist artists working in Britain today’ (The Observer), SHUT DOWN explores the spectrum of modern day masculinity and investigates the pressures, contradictions and confusions of being a man.
Vincent Dance Theatre’s first ever all male production is timely, humorous and highly charged ‘political and poetic dance theatre’ (London Dance), from one of the UK’s most risk-taking and rigorous choreographers. Dance, spoken word, rap and real-life testimony collide to ask: what is it like to live as a man today?
SHUT DOWN premiered live in London in November 2017 (see trailer above) and toured across the UK in spring 2019.
SHUT DOWN is the brother work to VIRGIN TERRITORY (2016/17), supported by Esmée Fairbairn Foundation, Sussex Community Foundation and Chalk Cliff Trust. VDT is a National Portfolio Organisation, funded by Arts Council England and Associate Company at Brighton Dome and Festival.
SHUT DOWN seems to present simultaneously a manifesto, a rebellion, a cry for help, and a mapping of the many identities ‘a man’ could take on.
EXEUNT MAGAZINE
Credits
Directed and designed by
Charlotte Vincent
Artistic Director & Chief Executive (She/Her)
Charlotte formed Vincent Dance Theatre (VDT) in 1994 and has directed all the company’s collaborative work to date, on stage and on film. Vincent has also designed the work since 2005 and performed with the company until 2002. Vincent’s distinctive, contemporary choreography ‘stages ideas’ and embeds her own and her collaborators’ lived experience within the work, raising awareness of personal and political issues, breaking down the barriers between professional and non-professional performers and in VDT’s film installation and engagement spaces, between audience and participant.
Vincent is recognised as a sector leader in movement based socially engaged creative practice and creative health, particularly around her work with care-experienced young people and women at risk, championing gender equality and advocating for best practice to support parents and carers working in the performing arts. Her pioneering work on film ensired VDT were ‘covid ready and able to work through Covid and consequently allows Vincent’s work to be purposefully ‘applied’ in non-arts settings as well within conventional arts venues and settings.
Charlotte is an experienced speaker, lecturer and Mentor, working with early and mid-career artists to develop their creative practice and production work. Vincent has also worked as a director, dramaturg, and facilitator for other artists and companies, most notably Two Destination Language (Near Gone, winner Total Theatre Awards for Innovation and Experimentation 2014), Keira Martin (Here Comes Trouble Sadlers Wells Wild Card and Good Blood) and facilitating early R&D for Sue MacLaine’s Can I Start Again Please (2013).
In the past, Vincent has performed and collaborated with Professor Liz Aggiss as V&A Artefacts, curated an inaugural 4-week festival of experimental performance practice, Juncture at Yorkshire Dance in Leeds and co-hosted The Table, a forum to nurture dialogue across disciplines between established female artists with Dr Claire Macdonald. Charlotte sat on the Artists Advisory Group at Yorkshire Dance for several years and Steering Group for Dance UK’s National Choreographic Conference in 2013. Most recently she has been a driving force behind the development of the London Road Network in Brighton, a collaborative group of organisations and individuals working towards deeper interaction between arts orgs and grassroots organisations in one of Brighton’s more deprived areas.
Vincent is Safeguarding Lead for VDT, trained in Trauma Informed Practice, Mental Health First Aid, therapeutic parenting, and First Aid. She completed a Clore Leadership Short Course (2010), the Clore Programme for CEO/Artistic Directors (2011) and Clore Brave Conversations Programme (2013). Vincent is also trained in FA Football Coaching.
Vincent has written chapters and been written about in several Routledge Publications (resources) and PhD’s, and her work Art of Attachment lies at the heart of Dr Cath Lambert‘s imminent publication Troubling Adoption.
In 2023, Dr Vincent gained a PhD in Performing Arts from Canterbury Christ Church University, reflecting on VDT’s socially engaged practice, supervised by Professor Angela Pickard, Director of the Sidney de Haan Centre for Arts and Health.
Dr Charlotte Vincent lives in Brighton with her son, who loves mountain biking, fishing and gaming.
Performed by
Robert Clark
Artistic Associate
Robert Clark is a contemporary dance performer, choreographer and teacher working across Europe and the USA.
As a freelance performer Robert has worked with VDT since 2011 on a range of projects. Other employments include work with Charles Linehan, Fevered Sleep, Sasha Waltz and Guests, Cie Felix Ruckert, Cie Soit/Hans van Der Broek, Le Grand Jeu/Louis Zeigler, Lisa Torun Dance Company, Barebones (Rui Horta and Garry Stewart/Australian Dance Theatre), Ben Wrights Bgroup, Alletta Collins and Troika Ranch amongst others. In Loco Parentis is his 7th work with Vincent Dance Theatre.
Robert’s choreographic work has been recognised through a number of awards and prizes including the Simone Michelle Choreography Award and selection for the “Escalator Dance” programme, becoming a supported artist in the Eastern region of England. Robert has been; a Work place (associate) artist with The Place, London; a Resident Artist with Greenwich Dance, London; and an associate with Dance4 in Nottingham, England.
Robert regularly undertakes commission work. Recent commissions include work for Mapdance (University of Chichester), Wellcome Collection, Academy of Dramatic Art Zagreb and Koreokroj (Croatia).
Robert initially trained at the Laban Centre London BA (hons), before going on to complete his training at London Contemporary Dance School with EDge.
Janusz Orlik
Artistic Associate
Janusz Orlik is a performer, choreographer and dance practitioner.
After graduating from ballet school in Warsaw, Janusz became a student of Brucknerkonservatorium Linz in Austria. During his studies he became a founding member of x.IDA Dance Co. and performed in productions created by Olga Cobos, Peter Mika, Catherine Guérin, Rebekka Murgi, Nicole Caccivio and Charlotte Vincent. Since 2002, Janusz has been a regular member of Vincent Dance Theatre. Simultaneously, Janusz creates his own choreographic works, including “Exérèse monobloc” (2004), “and thy neighbour as thyself” (2006), “Live on stage” (2008), “The Rite of Spring” (2011), “Insight” (2013) awarded by The Minister of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland for Janusz Orlik and Joanna Leśnierowska for the best choreography granted as part of Polish Dance Platform 2014, “Mute” (2018) and “Koda (a tribute)” (2019). In 2007 he performed in “nothing” by towarzystwo gimnastyczne and in 2009 in “Happy” by Nigel Charnock, in which he was also involved as choreographer’s assistant.
In 2010 Janusz joined Kwaad Bloed Company performing in “Forces”. In 2011 he joined Nigel Charnock + Company to create new work “Ten Men”. In the same year, he collaborated and performed in “Reconstruction” by Joanna Leśnierowska and in 2012 with Gary Clarke performing in “Horsemeat”. In 2013 he began a collaboration with Daniel Landau. In 2014 he performed in “… (Rooms by the sea) from the series Exercises in Looking” by Joanna Leśnierowska, in “Unintended Consequences” by Sjoerd Vreugdenhil, “Back to bone” by Rosalind Crisp and “Collective Jumps” by Isabelle Schad. In 2015 he performed in an excerpt of “Shirtology” by Jérôme Bel. In 2016 he worked as a movement director in “Ojczyzna” (Polish Theatre in Poznań), collaborated and performed in Polish-Brazilian production “Yanka Rudzka Project: Leavining”. In 2018 he collaborated and performed in Polish-Brazilian-Georgian-Armenian production “Yanka Rudzka Project: Polyphonies”.
Janusz is an author of a series of dance and movement workshops “Moved” which in a cyclical form took place throughout 2018 in cooperation with various institutions in Poland. Other works include “High heels” for the ballet ensemble of The Opera House in Kraków, “Alpha” for The Contemporary Dance Scene in Poznań, “Adagio” for the Musical Theatre in Poznań. As well as performing Janusz delivers movement and choreographic workshops in various venues, dance schools and community centres in Poland and abroad. Scholar of the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage of the Republic of Poland in 2011 and 2018.
Hip Hop Consultant
Sound Design by
Jules Maxwell
Sound Design
Jules Maxwell has composed music for a wide variety of choreographers over the last 20 years, including Wayne McGregor, Dog Kennel Hill Project, Jasmin Vardimon, Jane Mason, Cathy Marston, Charlotte Darbyshire, Theo Clinkard, Filip Van Huffel, New Art Club, Laila Diallo, Charlotte Darbyshire, Hofesh Schecter and Jeanine Durning.
His background is in theatre and he regularly works at the National Theatre, The Young Vic and Shakespeare’s Globe. He also has a long standing relationship with artist Mark Storor with whom he has created many small and large scale promenade and circus pieces.
He composed the soundtrack to Tim Loane’s Oscar nominated short film Dance Lexie Dance (1996).
As a musician and song writer he has collaborated with Dead Can Dance, Foy Vance, Iain Archer and Duke Special.
He has recently co-written a collection of songs with Lisa Gerrard for a forthcoming album by Le Mystère des Voix Bulgares.
At the heart of his music and practice is a curiosity to find links across theatrical disciplines. He is as interested in drama as he is in sound. He cannot avoid hearing music in movement and light and language. He is drawn to the truth found in flaws and scars and people singing badly.
Since moving to France he has begun presenting monthly solo concerts of his own songs in the Café Gallery where he now lives.
Soundtrack contributions by
Lighting Design by
Nigel Edwards
Lighting Design
Nigel Edwards has been working with VDT since Virgin Territory in 2017 and subsequent shows, Shut Down, Art of Attachment and In Loco Parentis. He has also worked with Forced Entertainment for 29 years, Remote Control/Michael Laub for 17 years, The People Show for 7 plus Dessert Island Dances, Dance Dance Dance and 50 Acts for Wendy Houstoun. He has worked as a lighting designer on Lanark (The Citizens) Cleansed, 448 Psychosis (The Royal Court), Crave (Paines Plough), Robert Zucco, Victoria, The Tempest (RSC) as well as The Maid (ENO) and Hansel and Gretel (Opera North). He has also designed and toured with Ryuichi Sakamoto and Carsten Nicolai, Yellow Magic Orchestra, Jeff Beck and Nightmares on wax.
Recent engagements: Lighting Designer The Tell-Tale Heart (National Theatre); Flutter (Natalia Osipova at Saddlers Wells); The Lion and the Cobra (Christeene at the Barbican); Rolling (Michael Laub).
Production Manager
Mat Ort
Production Manager
Over the past 15 years Mat has worked as Production and Technical Manager for a diverse range of theatre, dance and arts companies delivering touring productions, site specific work, international arts festivals and numerous one-off site responsive commissions. Companies include Salisbury International Arts Festival, Inside Out Dorset Festival, Milton Keynes International Festival, Inside Out Dorset Festival, In Between Time Festival, The World Famous, National Theatre of Scotland, Frantic Assembly, Dreamthinkspeak, AndNow:, Bgroup, Vincent Dance Theatre, Theo Clinkard Dance, Probe, Unlimited Theatre, New Movement Collective, Stan Won’t Dance, Paines Plough and Trestle Theatre.
Cinematographer/Editor
Bosie Vincent
Filmmaker & Photography
Bosie has been making films, documentaries and television programmes for over 20 years for the BBC, Channel 4, Sky Arts, PBS, Discovery and National Geographic. His work covers a diverse range of subjects including science, art/design, music as well as wildlife and adventure and it has taken him all over the world.
Working primarily as a self-shooting director Bosie has found himself in many extraordinary locations and situations. In the last couple of years he has camped in a cave in Borneo for four days in search of rare wildlife, filmed historian Michael Wood in China for BBC2’s The Story of China, followed young black Americans tracing their cultural roots on a religious pilgrimage to Nigeria and followed scientists working on an erupting volcano in Hawaii. He has also shot/directed programmes on architecture, fashion, the development of modern music and the stories of the world’s most notorious art heists.
Bosie has lived in Brighton for over 25 years. He once worked as the council’s ‘Video Worker’ making films with disadvantaged members of the community. He has made a short film about Brighton’s enduring mod scene and has showcased the work of local artists and photographers.
Explore the production
Photos
Press
“If ‘Shut Down’ says anything, it certainly says that change is needed, and it is needed by all of us, now.”
Jazmine Watts-Moast, Dance in Devon, 19 March 2019
“Shut Down does exactly what it intends to do: it holds a mirror to society and points out every toxic flaw it can find.”
Kelly Jenkins, Verbal Remedy, 9 March 2019
“In this way Shut Down seems to present simultaneously a manifesto, a rebellion, a cry for help, and a mapping of the many identities ‘a man’ could take on.”Rohanne Udall, Exeunt, 7 December 2017
“Charlotte Vincent doesn’t disappoint, proposing a multitude of socially pressing ideas with a seamless blend of dance and theatre that is executed by a talented cast of performers.”Natalie Russett, A Younger Theatre, 1 December 2017
“Gradually, each member of this company reveals the impact of these stereotypes on their emotions, their sexuality or their interaction with others... Such moments are the essence of this work.”
Rachel Elderkin, Fjord Review, 7 December 2017
“★★★★ Shut Down has been painstakingly constructed through observation, improvisation and research. The piece isn’t an anti-male rant, but a witty and humane examination of conflicting forces. Vincent identifies, with forensic precision, the different ways in which men react to changing times.”Luke Jennings, The Observer, 3 December 2017
“Shut Down takes us on a raw and emotional rollercoaster exploring the state of things as a man in 2017”Evan Parker, TheatreFullStop, 30 November 2017
“Vincent has assembled a courageous cast of adult and young male performers who are not afraid to act out some of the serious dilemmas of being a man.”Josephine Leask, DanceTabs, 30 November 2017
“Vincent makes her audience confront issues that are often uncomfortable but her treatise on contemporary masculinity, with all its memorable confusions and contradictions, is a strong and challenging work.”Graham Watts, Bachtracks, 30 November 2017
Audience feedback
“Once again I was blown away by @VincentDT. #VDTShutDown is fearless, meaningful and so relevant. Everyone needs to see it.”
Audience Feedback, London