About Patton
Patton Small is an experimental theatre director and performer whose work aims to engage his audience through visceral live performances, on both an intellectual and emotional level. Patton seeks to challenge the existing form of theatre with his work in order create new works which better engage and immerse a contemporary audience. He relies on a variety of techniques, drawing from the theatrical styles of Brecht, Artaud, and Grotowski.
Patton was raised in Midland, Texas where he spent much of his time outside and gained a passion for nature and wild places. To this day Patton is an avid backpacker and mountaineer and his love of the wild and sublime often finds its way into his work. It was in Midland that Patton first discovered his love of acting and devised theatre with the Pickwick Players.
Patton proceeded to attend Carleton College, in rural Minnesota, where he earned a Bachelors of Arts in both Theatre Arts and Philosophy as well as an Interdisciplinary Concentration in Archaeology. While in undergraduate at Carleton he explored philosophy of perception, aesthetics, and the theoretical works of Bertolt Brecht and Jerzy Grotowski. Patton directed a number of plays with Carleton College’s Experimental Theater Board and acted in a number of Carleton Players’ productions. He was also involved in several full length devised theater projects as well as the creation of several experimental performances and installations, while at Carleton. Patton Graduated with Distinction in Theater Arts and was also awarded Distinction for his work on his undergraduate directing thesis project, Baal.
Following graduation Patton began to train in Grotowski performance techniques. He now lives in Portland Oregon where he works as a director and with paratheatrical performance groups. Patton is in the process of establishing Experiment Cult Production Group with Brian Gordon. Their upcoming projects include an intensive devising lab, located at farm in rural Virginia, and a production of Hamletmachine which is currently being designed by Patton Small and Brian Gordon.