Gregg Whelan - Lone Twin: Performance Writing MA graduate
After finishing the Performance Writing MA in 1994, Gregg Whelan with Gary Winters set up Lone Twin; the internationally renowned theatre production company which tours worldwide and has offices both in America and the UK.
Gregg knows how to weave a good story; he's been doing it for over a decade. But it's not just in the writing, or the telling - it's the link between the two that makes a story really good; something that Gregg learnt from the MA course.
Joining the College in 1994, Gregg's course took an entirely different stance on writing for performance, and it was an approach that instantly appealed. "We were encouraged to look at writing and its relationship to life, so perhaps the act of writing itself could be seen as a performance," he explains. "It was an innovative perspective which had huge international impact at the time. Symposiums, events and discussions were held around the course, making it an exciting time to study and a terrific context to be writing in."
From this terrific context, Gregg produced his final degree show, On Everest - a unique ‘performed essay' for which he enlisted the skills of Gary Winters, then also in his final year at the College, studying Visual Performance. The piece generated much industry attention and resulted in an immediate nationwide tour, something Gregg puts down to the College's focus on professional engagement. "We were constantly made aware of the need to engage the industry in our work, so invited the right people to see our final show," he continues. "This opened up the UK festivals for Gary and I as a professional partnership. Ultimately, our final College degree show was instrumental in the formation of Lone Twin."
From their initial duo work, Lone Twin has grown to encompass a theatre production company and a community projects arm, producing an ever-diverse range of works for stage, studio and public space. They are in high demand worldwide, with offices in both America and the UK, and have a rigorous international touring schedule - most recently premiering the second piece in their theatre trilogy, Daniel on the Train, to critical acclaim at the Vienna Festival.
But through all this, Gregg's unique approach to writing remains integral to the company's work. "What I learnt at college still affects how we work today," Gregg concludes. "We were taught to look at writing in all its uses and contexts, to see it as an everyday practice not a high art form, and that still informs how we work. By producing a lot of material and constantly gathering stories, we're able to keep using text in an inventive and challenging way. It's this approach that makes Lone Twin what it is."
Website: www.lonetwin.com
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