Take Root or Take Flight: A tale of Two Theatres Part 2 Project 2019 David Caldwell University of the West of England | UK As the economics of property tightens its grip on Bristol, more and more performance venues are forced to close by pressures from new developments, and decent, secure housing becomes increasingly unaffordable. But as this formal cultural life declines, we are seeing a rise of informal and unlicensed performance events and an increase in the amount of people living informally in in vans, caravans and tents. This project explores this dialectic through two very different theatres.The Holy Theatre defies the commodification of land by becoming part of the landscape. It is built into and out of the Redcliffe caves and is designed to reinvigorate the ceremony of formal theatre. Taking root in the earth, the distinctive red sandstone of the caves is reconstituted and rammed to create a monolithic inhabited wall, extending the acoustic and cooling properties of the cave into the performance space.The Rough Theatre takes flight from the politics of land and ownership. Inspired by the van dwellers of Bristol and taking cues from makeshift festival stages and the scaffolding of the temporary adaptable set, it is at once a kitchen, social hub and stage for a travelling theatre troupe. David Caldwell Tutor(s) Dr. Tonia Carless Dr. Rachel Sara