Dan de la Motte
Dan de la Motte
Associate Artist
Hear how to pronounce my name here.
I'm the Collaborative Doctoral Award Placement, which is a very fancy way of saying I'm a (part-time) PhD student at Queen Mary University, exploring 'performance-based co-creation with young people as a form of political activism' with specialist focus on the work of Fevered Sleep.
I'll be spending my time reading books and watching plays and live art and then hopefully putting my thoughts on their feet and turning it into something practical!
Drama and performance were always my favourite things at school, but I ended up working in this area quite by accident. One day in 2008 I picked up a copy of the Evening Standard (in those days you had to pay for it so I thought I might as well read this) and I saw the Young Vic were hiring ushers. I applied, and got the job, which was my 'way in' to theatre and performance more widely, and introduced me to the work of Fevered Sleep, who were an Associate Company at the Young Vic at the time.
Away from my PhD and Fevered Sleep I'm a freelance Creative Practitioner and performer.
Right now I'm co-Artist-in-Residence at St Margaret's House, devising a new show for children called Be More Mushroom. Elsewhere I regularly work with eco-warrior bearded drag lady Timberlina on musical nature-themed pieces for children. I research and deliver tours for Queer Tours of London, am an Associate for Hackney-based Unity Arts and am an elected Equity councillor.
Inevitably my life beyond Fevered Sleep is taken up by other theatre and performance-based jobs and gigs, but when I can I'm really leaning in to exploring my Italian background - learning the language, applying for a passport, visiting my family there when I can and cooking as much pasta as possible.