emergency exit

emergency exit was formed in the winter of 2001 by Kevin Rees-Cummings and Sean MacMahon.

i like you was the product of a discussion which revolved around eliminating "too many cooks" in the creative process.

The two decided to create a list of restrictions, or rules. This was largely inspired by the Dogme 95 principles of film-making. This is a document developed by Lars Von Trier and several other film-makers in order to steer away from the formulaic tendencies of huge blockbuster films. The emphasis is in removing all the trickery: all lighting is natural, sound is unenhanced and dialogue is improvised.

They created a live performance version addressing their theatrical dilemmas and called it "the manifesto" (see website).

"We are working towards developing a process that we can continue to use as an alternative to playing conventional roles in a theatrical form, style, process & execution.

emergency exit improvises around a blueprint structure that plots a way to get from start to finish. Stylistically our work involves us creating scenes via improvisation, discussion, and writing experiments based on a variety of themes. The actual shows that occur always happen in the same order, but the lines and movements that are performed will differ with each performance based on a number of factors: the audience, the temperature, the noise level outside, the social climate, or even the performers moods.

Through emergency exit, we are trying to create a charge between performers and audience, not unlike that energy which exists in a live music forum. Using live & recorded music, film/video, puppets etc. our working aesthetic is a collision of frenzied channel changing, flashing lights, instruction manuals, safety pamphlets, air traffic control panic, signs and regulations, motion and static in time, the universal truth, faulty prescriptions, missed navigations, complications and emergencies of a microscopic and/or telescopic nature."