by Diana Miranda

The London-based theatre company that goes by the fitting name Ensemble Not Found is a group of East Asian artists that bend storytelling boundaries and explore unconventional ways to connect with audiences. The company first caught my eye at VAULT Festival 2023 with their debut show Project Atom Boi. The piece is a multi-media insight on existential dread through the perspective of a self-indulgent filmmaker attempting to capture the memories of a young Londoner who grew up in a Chinese nuclear town. It involves audiences through live video and drawing boards, inviting volunteers to doodle words that trigger the protagonist’s memories.

After taking home Vault’s Artist Choice Award, Ensemble Not Found created two more pieces: Led By the Wind, a multilingual and multimedia work-in-progress show about boredom, and Woo Woolf, a series of sketches inspired by Virginia Woolf’s writings on creativity and femininity. While each project delves into distinct themes, Ensemble Not Found’s X-factor remains consistent: a multidisciplinary exploration of narrative structures that often blurs the line between theatre and live art.

The company skillfully blends video design, multilingual scripts, and physical language. The multimedia theatrics combined with a somewhat fragmented structure interweave vignettes – sometimes tightly, sometimes loosely – to create an intriguing narrative. This is not your average storytelling. It can be puzzling. And yet, I can’t stop looking.

After Project Atom Boi, observing their subsequent R&D projects allowed me to take a deep dive into the ensemble’s creative drive. Take their latest brainchild, Woo Woolf. During its work-in progress showcase at Theatre Deli, they used written text and movement-led sections to explore both creativity in everyday life and societal norms around femininity. The direction played with the liminal space between on and offstage, with performers peeking from the sidelines when not performing. The most distinctive treat was the emphatic insights into the director’s motivations for the show, which were interwoven as both a scripted prelude and a dialogue among the performers.

In the latest sharing at Camden People’s Theatre and as part of the Calm Down, Dear! Festival, Woo Woolf focused on exploring womanhood and incorporated movement-led scenes that conveyed compelling visual metaphors. In contrast with the previous showcase, the vignettes were interlinked more thoroughly, and commentary on the show’s intentions was embedded as brief interludes with two cast members sitting as if part of the audience, further playing with the dynamics between onstage and offstage.

Each Woo Woolf showcase explores different approaches, but consistently displays remarkable visual imagery through physical language, using elements such as carefully crafted projections and delicately handled props. The scene at Camden People’s Theatre, where a plastic sheet is draped over a statuesque oracle, glistening under the theatre lights, has been etched in my mind ever since. They openly navigate between experimenting with new things and perfecting what has been done before, but always stay true to their distinctive style.

The scale of their projects constantly keeps me engaged, and I’m thankful for their openness to have people in the room as they find the best iteration of each piece. It fosters dialogue and collaboration and allows the long-term engagement that I pursue as a critic and that the theatre industry doesn’t facilitate with one-off reviews focused on single, “finished” performances. I can’t help but think that this rare interaction they encourage with critics (and everyone in the room, for that matter) also mirrors their examination of the relationships between audience and stage. By opening doors to their work-in-progress pieces, they blur yet another boundary.

Ensemble Not Found will continue exploring Led By the Wind this summer with a showcase at Applecart Arts. They also have workshops in various venues where they share their individual research practices. So buckle up, this is one ride to catch.

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