Mark Jeffrey - Goat Island: Visual Performance MA graduate
Studying performance art at the College, Mark valued the opportunity to experiment from day one. "There was a really positive sense of ‘yes, you can do this,' on the course; I was constantly encouraged to take risks and introduced to new methods and ideas," he explains. "The faculty, the visiting artists and the student body were incredibly dedicated to looking at things differently - it was always moving forward in its innovation."
One such new idea was working with Goat Island. Selected by his tutor to attend a performance workshop at the Arnolfini in Bristol, Mark's first meeting with Lyn and Matthew - directors of Goat Island and now Honorary Fellows of the College - helped him explore and develop his own practice. Following graduation in 1994, he gained a six-month resident fellowship at the gallery to look at site and audience. By coincidence, Goat Island was also in residency at the time. Mark began to work in tandem with the company until, in 1996, he got the chance to become a full-time member. "I was called and told that Goat Island wanted me to perform with them in Chicago because one of their performers had pulled out," he explains. "It was a crisis point for the company and a golden opportunity for me, so I took it - and have never looked back."
On top of individual experimentation, the College's emphasis on collaboration has significantly fed into Mark's approach to creating. "Goat Island is like a mini Dartington because you're in this space where you can constantly keep investigating," he explains, "plus everyone in the company comes from different backgrounds, feeding in from theatre, writing, sculpting, installation or dance - much like at the College." Goat Island's works have received international acclaim, having toured the US, UK, Belgium, Switzerland, Croatia, Germany and Canada over the last 21 years. They're currently touring The Last Maker, which sees the company, and Mark, return to Dartington to perform. "We feel so at home there, despite the obvious differences between a Midwestern American city and the South West of England," Mark concludes. "It's the environment of experimentation and willingness to share - the College is very special, and a unique place to create."
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