None of Us is Yet a Robot - the Podcast

A look back at a conversation between Emma and Travis Alabanza, recorded at the end of 2018 and forming the final chapter of Emma's book "None of Us is Yet a Robot". Released for TDoV day 2020 whilst the world is in lockdown... Stay safe, stay home Love and Respect xxx Many thanks to Disparition for the beautiful theme music. xx

This week Emma is talking with Ivor MacAskill about the fourth show in the NOUIYAR project - Rituals for Change. Recorded in November 2018, they talk about transitions, about polar bears and about the creation of rituals.   This season of the podcast is related to the release of None of Us is Yet a Robot the book! (Five Performances on Gender Identity and the Politics of Transition) It comes out on June 25th 2019 and you can pre-order copies here: oberonbooks.com   ‘Draws on a vital history of trans performance – an emerging canon that may no longer be ignored.’ – Morgan M Page, from her foreword   If you would like to attend the book launch, tickets are available here: eventbrite.co.uk   You can find more about Ivor here www.ivormacaskill.com and to support Emma's patreon follow this link: www.patreon.com/emmafrankland   Huge thanks to Disparition for the music, you can find more of his beautiful work here:www.disparition.info   Tune in next week for the final episode in this season, where Emma talks to Travis Alabanza about what comes next!   xxx

This week Emma is talking with Rosana Cade (her first returning guest - see season 1 "SAFETY MAP"). Emma and Rosana talk about the third show in the NOUIYAR project - e g g / b o x, which took place inside a giant cardboard box. They also talk about having a partner who transitions, about public perceptions and (as it was recorded in December 2018) about Christmas and Climate Change! This season of the podcast is related to the release of None of Us is Yet a Robot the book! (Five Performances on Gender Identity and the Politics of Transition) It comes out on June 25th 2019 and you can pre-order copies here: oberonbooks.com ‘Draws on a vital history of trans performance – an emerging canon that may no longer be ignored.’ – Morgan M Page, from her foreword If you would like to attend the book launch, tickets are available here: eventbrite.co.uk You can find more about Rosana here www.rosanacade.co.uk and to support Emma's patreon follow this link: www.patreon.com/emmafrankland Huge thanks to Disparition for the music, you can find more of his beautiful work here:www.disparition.info Tune in next week to see if Emma records a BONUS Canadian episode or for a conversation with Ivor MacAskill about Emma's much loved show 'Rituals for Change'. xxx  

Hello again and welcome back! This week, Emma is speaking with writer and journalist Maddy Costa about their experiences of Emma's durational performance piece 'Doodle'. In this instance, Maddy was a member of the audience and participant when the piece was performed at Forest Fringe in Summer 2014 and this sparked a series of conversations around gender that they reflect on here.. This season of the podcast is related to the release of None of Us is Yet a Robot the book! (Five Performances on Gender Identity and the Politics of Transition) It comes out on June 25th 2019 and you can pre-order copies here: oberonbooks.com ‘Draws on a vital history of trans performance – an emerging canon that may no longer be ignored.’ – Morgan M Page, from her foreword If you would like to attend the book launch, tickets are available here: eventbrite.co.uk You can follow Maddy on Twitter @maddydeliqette and to support Emma's patreon follow this link: www.patreon.com/emmafrankland Huge thanks to Disparition for the music, you can find more of his beautiful work here:www.disparition.info Tune in next week for reflctions on a performance that took place inside a giant cardboard box - e g g / b o x... xxx

hello and welcome back!  It's been three years but here is the first episode of Season 2 of None of Us is Yet a Robot. In this episode, Emma talks with Rachel Mars about the making of 'Language' in 2012. They reflect on the process, on trans politics and making art from identity. This season of the podcast is related to the release of None of Us is Yet a Robot the book! It comes out on June 25th 2019 and you can pre-order copies here: oberonbooks.com ‘Draws on a vital history of trans performance – an emerging canon that may no longer be ignored.’ – Morgan M Page, from her foreword If you would like to attend the book launch, tickets are available here: eventbrite.co.uk More info on Rachel Mars is here: rachelmars.org and to support Emma's patreon follow this link: www.patreon.com/emmafrankland Huge thanks to Disparition for the music, you can find more of his beautiful work here:www.disparition.info Tune in next week for reflctions on DOODLE... xxx  

This episode was recorded in the offices of Coney at Toynbee Studio in London with Brazilian musician, composer and pianist, Marcelle Barreto.  Marcelle brings her own poetic life to her music and joins different music styles within a modern jazz sound. Often composing and improvising in real time on her performances, often move between classical, jazz and popular music. We talked about how technology affects our lives,  about human connections vs machine technology and about how Facebook is trying to kill you. You can find out more about Marcelle and hear her music at www.marcelbarreto.com And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. Opening music was by Visitors and Closing music by Señor Coconut. Some things we mentioned in the conversation were: Artists International Development Fund Lana Wachowski The Matrix Duolingo Coney What’s She Like? - Headlong Theatre Twine Merrit Kopas - Incantation

This episode was recorded at over Skype with Berlin based artist Yishay, who was commissioned to create a piece of public art, ‘Nothing About Us Without Us’ for the outside of the Marlborough Theatre during Trans Pride Brighton, 2016. We talked about art and Trans Pride About surrounding yourself with people who challenge you About the systematic erasure of Trans Women from museum collections and galleries About how not being killed is awesome. You can follow yishay on twitter @yishaygarbasz And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. Opening music was by Visitors and Closing music by Señor Coconut.   Yishay Garbasz is a Berlin-based British-Israeli artist, graduate of photography BA from Bard College in New York 2004 Her 2005 Watson Fellowship resulted in the first book project, In My Mother's Footsteps (Hatje Cantz, 2009), nominated for the German photo book prize award. This contemporary journey of the Holocaust retraces her mother's path of survival in lush large format photographs. Garbasz’s second project starkly documents her body a year before and after gender affirmation surgery shown in the flipbook Becoming (MBP, 2010) and installed in the second largest Zoetrope in the world (Busan Biennale 2010, Korea). Currently, she explores globally the impact of trauma on communities, including “Ritual and Reality”, which documents the Fukushima nuclear exclusion zone, with fall-out reaching Tokyo Garbasz has exhibited widely in galleries, museums, around the world, including solo shows at Wako Works of Art (Tokyo), Ronald Feldman Fine Art (NY), Norderlicht Foto Festival (Holland), Chiang Mai Museum of Art (Thailand), and Tokyo Wonder Site (Japan); group shows at Museum of Fine Art Boston, National Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Korea), Stanley Picker Gallery (London), Dumbo Arts Center (NY) MOCA NOMI (FL). Garbasz’s work has also been featured in Artforum, the New York Times, and she was recently listed by the Huffington Post as one of Ten Transgender Artists Who Are Changing the Landscape of Contemporary Art. www.yishay.com www.feldmangallery.com  Some things we mentioned in the conversation were: Links to: Trans Pride Brighton, 2016

This episode was recorded at Arts Admin in London with Natasha Stavropoulos. We talked about adventure and moving to the big city.  About cross dressing and about surgery. About taboos and the stories we tell about ourselves. Natasha Stavropoulos is an openly transgender woman, currently studying to become a counselling psychologist at the University of Roehampton. Natasha originally moved to the UK from her native Greece at 18 to study. London was to become her home and the environment that allowed her to discover and become herself over two decades, transitioning in her mid-30s while working for an advertising agency. You can follow her on instagram at www.instagram.com/natashacomms and you can find out more about London Gender Support here: Www.facebook.com/LondonGenderSupport And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. Opening music was by Visitors and Closing music by Señor Coconut. Some things we mentioned in the conversation were: Links to: The Way Out Club (http://www.thewayoutclub.com) Magic Theatre (http://www.magic-theatre.co.uk) London Gender Support (www.facebook.com/LondonGenderSupport) TAGS (https://www.facebook.com/London-Trans-And-Gender-non-conforming-Swimming-group-540358062757588/) Trans Pride Brighton, 2016 (http://transpridebrighton.tumblr.com)

This episode was recorded in a van beside a road in London with performer and actor, Griffyn Gilligan. We talked about children.. about what it is like to raise a small one, what it’s like to teach not-so-small-ones and about our experiences of being children.  Also about the moments when we stop being children and become something else.. And we talked about Paw Patrol… Griffyn Gilligan is a performer and actor, theatre maker, writer, sound artist, and sometimes-director.  So far, this year has also found him doing a lot of stage managing and gardening for his supper. Griffyn's work (and play) centres around gender, science, sexuality, and dissonance. He is a founding member of the ensemble Ponyboy Curtis and has an MA in Advanced Theatre Practice from RCSSD.  And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. Opening music was by Visitors and Closing music by… Paw Patrol! Some things we mentioned in the conversation were: Paw Patrol Cubs and Brownies  Ponyboy Curtis The Yard Theatre Blue’s Clues UK Age of Consent Nina Simone Mississippi TransActing Workshops (links to follow) xxx

This episode is a conversation about vulnerability in live performance. About how artists can present traumatic material whilst looking after ourselves. About not being consumed by an audience.  And it is full of love. This episode was commissioned by Bristol Mayfest Radio (the official radio station for the Mayfest Theatre Festival) and Emma is speaking to Selina Thompson, an artist and performer whose production ‘Salt’ is one of the highlights of the festival. We talk about making autobiographical performance and placing yourself between an audience and the Sun.  About self care being a prevention rather than a cure and about the places where trans issues and race issues intersect and the places where they don’t. Selina Thompson is an artist and performer based in Leeds. Her work is playful, participatory and intimate, focused on the politics of identity, and how this defines our bodies, lives and environments. She has made work for pubs, cafes, hairdressers, toilets, and sometimes even galleries and theatres, including Spill Festival of Performance, The National Theatre Studio, The Birmingham REP, East Street Arts and the West Yorkshire Playhouse. Emma Frankland is an award winning theatre maker and performer.  Recently she has been creating performance work based on transgender identities & the politics of transition through her None of Us is Yet a Robot project. Throughout her work, there is a shared theatrical language that focuses on honesty, action & a playfully destructive DIY aesthetic. You can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter and with Selina at http://selinathompson.co.uk and on twitter @selinanthompson Opening music was by Visitors and closing music (as ever) by Señor Coconut y Su Conjuto. Some things we mentioned in the conversation were: Salt: http://totaltheatre.org.uk/ship-shape-and-bristol-fashion-the-story-of-salt/ Rituals For Change:http://notyetarobot.co.uk/portfolio-item/rituals-for-change/ Mayfest: http://mayfestbristol.co.uk The Cop in the Head: Augusto Boal: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augusto_Boal Forest Fringe: http://www.forestfringe.co.uk Buzzcut Festival: https://glasgowbuzzcut.wordpress.com Caravan Showcase: http://caravanshowcase.org.uk Sue MacLaine - Can I Start Again Please?: http://www.suemaclaine.com/can-i-start-again-please/ Woodland Secrets: http://woodlandsecrets.co/episode/51 Trans Pride Brighton: http://transpridebrighton.tumblr.com Simon Bowes writing about Rituals for Change: http://simonbowes.tumblr.com/post/144555756602/0212-now16-week-1-emma-frankland-rituals-for

In this episode, Emma is again in Brighton, talking with performance maker Rosana Cade about identity and difference.  About holding hands in public space; performances in public space; fear in public space and the Brighton Safety Map Project. Also about weird hugs and kissing your cousins. We were invited to record this episode by Pink Fringe in conjunction with The Safety Map, a project they were facilitating across the recent bank holiday weekend at the Marlborough Theatre. It was an invitation for people to share experiences of anti-social behaviour in Brighton as well as spaces where they feel welcomed and celebrated. Rosana says ”I am a performance maker based in Glasgow. Whilst the form of my performance work varies, and emerges in relation to the specific process or context I am engaging with, it is firmly rooted in a queer discourse and straddles live art and activism. My performances happen in various contexts including theatres, public spaces, as well as club and cabaret settings. I was part of the Spill National Showcase in 2013, a National Theatre of Scotland ‘Auteur’ in 2014 and I am an Artsadmin artist bursary recipient 2014/15. My work has been shown extensively across the UK with over twenty organisations including the National Theatre in London, at Summerhall as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase at the Edinburgh Fringe 2014, Contact Theatre – Manchester, the Arches in Glasgow, Forest Fringe, Battersea Arts Centre, and at international venues including Teatro Maria Matos in Lisbon, Frascati in Amsterdam and Kwai Fong Theatre in Hong Kong. I also collaborate regularly with my partner Eilidh MacAskill in our live art riot girl boi band, Double Pussy Clit Fu*k to create club and cabaret performances. And I am co-founder of //BUZZCUT// festival.” You can find links below or follow the Safety Map Project online at #safetymap and you can follow Rosana at @RosanaCade And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. Opening music was by Kraftwerk and Closing music by Señor Coconut y Su Conjuto Some things we mentioned in the conversation were: The Safety Map - https://www.facebook.com/events/1780845748818488/ The Marlborough, Brighton - http://www.marlboroughtheatre.org.uk Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs - http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html Walking / Holding - https://rosanacadedotcom.wordpress.com Judith Butler - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Judith_Butler Casey Plett - http://topsidepress.com/titles/a-safe-girl-to-love/ Rituals for Change at the Yard Theatre (10 - 14 May) - http://notyetarobot.co.uk/portfolio-item/rituals-for-change/ Advice about reporting hate crime - https://www.gov.uk/report-hate-crime LGBT Support Gendered Intelligence: http://genderedintelligence.co.uk Stonewall: http://www.stonewall.org.uk Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard - http://switchboard.org.uk See you next time. xxx

In this episode, Emma is back in Brighton, talking with Rory Finn Smith, LGBT Liaison for Brighton & Hove Police. The conversation is about about anti-social behaviour and violence against gender transgression. About about fitness and trans sport and self-defence. About endings and about things that do not end.. Rory is the LGBT Liaison for Brighton & Hove Police and has been in post since 2012. Prior to working with the Police, Rory worked for the national trans charity, Gender Trust, and volunteered for local LGBT organisations Mindout and FTM Brighton. Rory currently runs Trans Can Sport and is the chair of the Trans Alliance Brighton. In his downtime, Rory likes to keep fit, play xbox and drink tea. We were invited to record this episode by Pink Fringe in conjunction with The Safety Map, a project they are facilitating across the bank holiday weekend at the Marlborough Theatre. It’s an invitation to come and share experiences of anti-social behaviour in Brighton as well as spaces where we feel welcomed and celebrated. it’s the start of a larger conversation. This is FREE event. Please come and share your stories. You can find the link below or follow it on twitter at #safetymap And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. Opening music was by Kraftwerk and Closing music by Señor Coconut y Su Conjuto Some things we mentioned in the conversation were: The Safety Map - https://www.facebook.com/events/1780845748818488/ Trans Can Sport - https://www.facebook.com/transcansport/ Pink Fringe - http://www.marlboroughtheatre.org.uk/event-type/pink-fringe/ Trans Pride - http://transpridebrighton.tumblr.com Shuyler Baylar (trans swimmer on Harvard Team) -https://www.instagram.com/pinkmantaray/ Fallon Fox (MMA fighter) - http://www.fallonfox.com The Sissy’s Progress - http://www.marlboroughtheatre.org.uk/event/the-sissys-progress/ Advice about reporting hate crime - https://www.gov.uk/report-hate-crime LGBT Support Gendered Intelligence: http://genderedintelligence.co.uk Stonewall: http://www.stonewall.org.uk Brighton & Hove LGBT Switchboard - http://switchboard.org.uk  See you next time. xxx

Recorded in a stairwell at the Buzzcut Festival after party - in this episode, Emma talks about performance art, the 2016 Buzzcut line up and non-binary identities with double guests Ray Filar and Krishna Istha. Ray is a performance artist, musician and writer, whose work often explores drag, genderfuck and kink. Their most recent show was FUCK SOUP at Buzzcut Festival, but they have performed widely, including Latitude Festival, at Pride London, with David Hoyle at the Chelsea Theatre, Trans Pride in Brighton, LaDIYFest Berlin, and as part of the Duckie Homosexualist Summer School for emerging queer artists. They are a contributing editor at openDemocracy magazine.  Krishna is a performance maker and actor. Their work takes the form of comedic political acts and alter egos that focus on themes of queer culture, gender politics and feminism. Their work more often than not turns into a physical and vocal endurance test. You can find them online at @MXGenderslayer and @RayFilar And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. Opening music was by Kraftwerk and Closing music by Señor Coconut y Su Conjuto The predominant thing mentioned in the conversation was:  Buzzcut Festival - https://glasgowbuzzcut.wordpress.com See you next time! xxx

In this episode, Emma talks with Kate Adair - a filmmaker and vlogger from Glasgow - about transgender political candidates, coming out at work and “people being dicks”  The conversation was recorded in the heart of the incredible Buzzcut Festival - a live art and theatre festival that takes place in Govan. Kate has previously done work with MyGenderation and BBC's The Social. She also does a lot of community work with SQIFF (Scottish Queer International Film Festival) and Lock Up Your Daughters filmmaking. She has been part of filmmaking workshops teaching skills to young trans people allowing them to tell their own stories - something which she is passionate about. She also is a co-founder of Glasgow's only Transgender Swimming group (Seahorses).  You can find her on twitter @uhh_kate And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. Opening music was by Kraftwerk and Closing music by Señor Coconut y Su Conjuto Some people and things that we mentioned in the conversation were: Buzzcut Festival - https://glasgowbuzzcut.wordpress.com Ellen Murray - http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/01/14/first-out-trans-candidate-stands-for-election-in-all-ireland/ SQIFF - http://www.sqiff.org South Carolina “Bathroom Law” - http://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2016/apr/01/north-carolina-transgender-bathroom-law   Munroe Bergdorf - http://www.backstyle.net/magazine/munroe-bergdorf-transgender-model-lets-empower-each-other  and, er.. my show! Kate refers to Rituals for Change which I had performed a couple of days before.  It’ll be touring over the next 12 months but if you are in London in a few weeks it’ll be on at the Yard Theatre, Hackney Wick from the 10th - 14th May - there’s a trailer here: http://notyetarobot.co.uk/portfolio-item/rituals-for-change/  See you next time! love and respect. x

In this episode, Emma talks about 'the binary', fluidity and dancing on building sites with Rhyannon Styles, a trans performer, musician and writer. Rhyannon is an international performer working in Australia, America and many cities in Europe since 2005. Career highlights include being invited to perform at the Guggenheim Museum NYC for Armani, Lip-syncing to Alice Cooper whilst flying through the air at Glastonbury Festival as a vampire and staging her first solo show ‘Angel Cake’ at Camden Peoples Theatre in London. Rhyannon is currently creating and writing music under the moniker ‘Her Sperm’ and in addition to her performance work she is also a columnist at Elle magazine.  And she has danced with Kylie…  You can see more at www.rhyannonstyles.com or read her column for Elle magazine here:http://www.elleuk.com/now-trending/coming-out-and-being-outed-rhyannon-styles  You can follow her on twitter @rhyannonstyles And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. and our surprise guests were:  Ryan Brown - rycbrown.org Stuart McKenzie - wilddaughter.co.uk Opening music was by Kraftwerk and Closing music by Señor Coconut y Su Conjuto Some people and things that we mentioned in the conversation were: Ava Vidal: http://www.avavidal.co.uk L’ecole Phillipe Gaulier: http://www.ecolephilippegaulier.com H&M Customer Service: https://www2.hm.com/en_gb/customer-service.html And the event I mentioned was: High Tidings: www.bac.org.uk @battersea_arts  #BACBedrooms #pastysprogress See you next time! x

In this episode, Emma talks about gender, Christianity and the fading patriarchy with Jo Clifford, a trans writer, performer, poet and teacher. Jo is the author of about 80 plays, many of which have been translated into various languages and performed all over the world. You can read her blog at http://www.teatrodomundo.com and follow her on twitter @jocliffordplays And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. Music was by Kraftwerk and Señor Coconut y Su Conjuto Some things that we mentioned in the conversation were: A photograph of Jo looking demonic:  http://www.theguardian.com/stage/2016/mar/02/jo-clifford-transgender-christ-overcoming-fear-every-one-bac-london A blog by Sarah Savage about BBC3 ‘Miss Transgender - Britains New Beauty Queens’: http://sarah-savage.com/drunk-miss-transgender-uk-bbc-review/ Fucking Trans Women: http://fuckingtranswomen.tumblr.com And the events mentioned were: Every One: https://www.bac.org.uk/content/40499/whats_on/whats_on/shows/every_one Traumfrau: http://www.traumfrau.co.uk Women of the World Panel: http://wow.southbankcentre.co.uk/whats-on/trans-identities-1979 Hear ME Roar Feminist Festival: https://www.facebook.com/hearmeroarlancaster/?fref=ts   See you next time! x

Episode 1: Robots In this episode, Emma talks to Brighton based musician, writer and activist Maeve Devine about transgender life, cyborg sex attachments and awesome brothers. You can listen to Maeve’s music at https://daskinsey4life.bandcamp.com and follow her on twitter @devinemaeve And you can keep up to date with Emma's movements through the None of Us is Yet a Robot project at www.notyetarobot.co.uk or @elbfrankland on twitter. Music was by Kraftwerk and Señor Coconut y Su Conjuto Some things we mentioned in the conversation were: Topside Press: http://topsidepress.com S Bear Bergman - The Nearest Exit May Be Behind You : http://sbearbergman.com Dude with robot implants: http://motherboard.vice.com/read/the-cyborg-kevin-warwick-is-the-worlds-first-human-robot-hybrid