Cultured Mongrel is the creative handle for the artistic practice of Emma Jayne Park; dancer, theatre maker, collaborator and micro-activist. From her base in Scotland she works locally, nationally, internationally and as Associate Artist with The Scottish Mental Health Arts Festival, one of the world's largest social justice arts festivals.
'High octane... energetic, witty and playful' (The Skinny) she asks questions and is obsessed with asking better questions. Her work uses physicality as a catalyst for making performances and interventions that bring attention to the critical issues facing society today.
As a movement director, Emma has worked alongside Wils Wilson (Twelfth Night: The Royal Lyceum & Bristol Old Vic), Joe Douglas (Arabian Nights: The Royal Lyceum), Sandy Thomson (Monstrous Bodies: Dundee Rep) Jenna Watt (Tetra-decathlon: Scottish Tour) and Eve Nicoll (The Mistress Contract: The Tron)
Emma’s artistic research focuses on themes including identity, failure, re-authorship and cultural change. This research is evidenced in both her touring productions and ongoing work to develop a healthier, more diverse ecology for working in the arts sector. This includes facilitating Federation of Scottish Theatre’s Working Towards Wellbeing forum and selection as a PUSH artist, attending the Gender and Sexual Identity in Theatre for Young Audiences lab.
Her failure-based work includes It’s Not Over Yet… (directed by Charlotte Vincent), focussing upon her failing body and people’s reactions to this, and Epic Fail, shared as work in progress at Edinburgh International Children’s Festival in May 2019 with plans to develop the work in 2020, touring from 2021.
