Made in China come to Cove Park this July through the Jerwood Performing Arts residencies, programmed by Fuel Theatre. In a new development for 2014, former participants will each nominate emerging artists new to both Cove Park and Fuel to take up this year’s residency opportunities. The nominated artists will work with Fuel either on a specific project, or for the more general development of their creative practice. The residencies will take place in May, June, July and August this year.

Cove Park is most grateful for the continued support of the Jerwood Charitable Foundation for making this work possible.

Made In China is the collaborative work of Tim Cowbury and Jess Latowicki. They make theatre that playfully explores the paradoxes of modern identity, crossing the borders between playwriting and performance art. Their performances are a careful blend of dark humor, deadpan dialogue and punishing physical tasks. They put relatable stories into the mouths of vulnerable and unreliable narrators, inviting their audience to relax and enjoy, then put difficult questions to them. They aim to excite and unsettle in equal measure.

Since beginning the collaboration in 2009, their process has evolved: from a kind of devising to something more like a writing partnership. As they embark on making their fifth full-length piece this year – a solo performance about the relationship between virtuosity and identity – they to use the Cove Park residency to put this shift into action. This means summoning a particular kind of courage and openness, in order to find practical ways to share writing responsibility and build on each other’s ideas.