SKOGEN SCHOOL OF PERFORMANCE ANXIETY
Performance/Lecture (2018)

During three occasions the Skogen School of Performance Anxiety gathered around the state of fear to fail, to succeed or bee seen in an attempt to do something.

The class is a hybrid of workshop and participatory performance. Together the class explored the phenomena of performance anxiety, where the english double meaning of performance is crucial. Performance as in performing something in front of other people on some kind of stage, or performance as in caring out a task of any kind. In the the later definition of the word the class is occupied with the connection to the performance society - identity and self worth in late capitalist contexts.

Theoretically the work includes reading and discussing texts on failure and success, with our neoliberal society as a backdrop. Physically, the work included examining our personal fear of failing trough performative practices.

The aim was to give each participant the chance to use the class to clarify and address a desire that they fear to perform. The courses theoretical and practical parts builded up to the examination where the participants fears was canalized into a physical attempt.

The curriculum includes: Improvisation, karaoke, taskbased performance, text-reading and group discussions. No prior training was required to participate.

Documentation from the workshop at Skogen, April 2018. Top two pictures: improvisation training and process-writing, Bottom four pictures: Selected documentation of the examinational performance attempt. (Light quality varies due to how much light each participant chose to have during their performance).