Another Plug from Me
I suppose if this is the least enjoyable element of the Squeeze Box creative process, then I am very very lucky to be part of this bold, colourful, caring collaborative project! The awkwardness of sending people what is essentially an advert, the stressfulness of making sure I’m sending all the comms to the right people, anxious waiting for a response, to joyful moments of hearing from people I haven’t heard from in ages… Well, in that case, I think this element of platforming speaks to Squeeze Box in multiple ways. And that’s the thing about making work about the disabled experience – the understanding of this identity is a mirror and a lens into wider society, performance in the everyday and cultural embodiment.
Essentially, seven days to take a concept from a rich R&D to an audience-ready, multi-narrative/disciplined immersive experience was going to be no mean feat. Added to this is the fact that the nature of Squeeze Box is fuelled by embracing play, experimentation and seeking ever-evolving ideas… i.e, if the work feels completed, something hasn’t quite gone right! Within the performance itself, the core performers use the energy of idea, development as a story-telling tool. It is that silliness and joy in the unknown that enriches our work. This improvisation style of performance is the element of risk itself – the phrase ‘is this too risky’ is heard quite a lot in our sessions together – not ‘is this risky’… So, our process was always going to rely on the strength of imagination, skill of craft and confidence in each other, from the core artists. With finite time, I’m always in awe, and indeed humbled that that reliance has not been tested, but rather has empowered the process and shaped Squeeze Box into a strong piece of performance.
However, if this sounds like leaving things to chance and luck, that is not quite true and I am learning this through reflection. This essence of reactivity, that is Squeeze Box, is only possible because we (Steve on music, soundscape and voice amplification - Tim on projection video and enhancing story-telling - and me feeding off the energy with performance somewhere in between) are truly held by the most awesome 'backstage' team. The ask on them has been growing and growing, as the demand of Squeeze Box evolves. They have taken on the role of director, producer, steward, space facilitator, creative enabler and more….and it is those little things of needing batteries for equipment and turning around to see some on the table after someone had ran out and got some, to always having a filled cup of tea and a reminder to take a break and eat something. We were very on it with putting a healthy budget line for producers and background support and this has paid of ten-fold:
With Shelley Hodgson somehow holding the process together whilst offering creative support and troubleshooting the hell out of any hurdle
The highest quality and care-centred artistic support and access consultant from Clair Sargeant
Sam Parker offering a super helpful blend of messy dividing support and on task directing
Perfect balance of practical help and creative insight from Jennifer Noice
A contender to make the Muses into ten with the art of theatre photography, Emily Louise Vulpix Appleton
Bare camera and editing skills and general enthusiasm from Tristan Albon
And keeping a critical friend eye and stewing juicy ambition for the next stages of Squeeze Box is Nat Palin
Not to mention all the amazing outside eye support we have had from Amy Mellows, Erin Walcon, Fran Daykin and Daisy Mai Higman. On top of that, the lush day on the 1st September with fellow creators to test out ideas and refine the work – THANK YOU for your support and believe in the original work.
Also, MakeTank have been brilliant too. We made a little bit of a mess at points and sent some unusual requests and this has always been met with passion for our work and for a wider believe in local artists.
It has been a true honour, privilege and so exciting to spend time at MakeTank with these incredible creators. They all seem to embrace our somewhat wacky way of devising. And indeed, having the ability to make in this way is a true compliment to Squeeze Box and think it will come across in the work. The diverse and complex nature of our creative team, with calendars always clashing with ambition, a four-day stint together was a feat of masterly scheduling – and the fact we had two of those was a minor miracle! Therefore, everything needed to be in place for the rehearsal days. And with Squeeze Box, this is not just a matter of focusing purely on the performance runs. No, we planned to truly take over the MakeTank space – as audiences walk into the space, they might well be stepping into a Squeeze Box … maybe the artists spend the duration of the day in the box, being squeeze: either sharing/celebrating the creativity and identity within us, or having it squeezed out of them? Yes, there is a lot of squeezing involved.
This all means that the geniuses that make up our collective are balancing logistics/producing/creating a culture of care with shaping theatre/performance. There is always something to do – yes, Tim and Steve have conquered Squeeze Box’s get-in, with some heavy and complicated equipment all set up in a couple of hours, but the whole entire space needs dressing, feedback tools laying out, health and safety implemented, props organised, seating rearranged, etc, etc. This all seems to happen organically, with individuals feeling empowered to make decisions and ask for guidance almost simultaneously. It really is a beautiful space and the work reflects this as an immaterial testimony felt by the whole team. Some way through Squeeze Box, this space of nurture flips – the uncaring, cold and clinical world of assessments, capitalism and silo thinking invades. Within our narrative, this is story-told by a harsh and algorithmically driven voice which isolates and discriminates. This follows a lived experience but I think speaks to both an objectifying process on disabled bodies, and a wider systemic grinding down of creative arts and what it means to feel human. Our process demonstrates that the ethos of care creates magic. Yet, it is delicate and the fact we need to put a ‘case for diversity’ forward shows that there are many forces trying to disrupt communities being able to care for each other.
So, my real plug is both a practical one and a wider dream. Having the ability to fall back on a budget, which allows funding for a much wider support network, is shaping Squeeze Box in exciting ways. Having multiple artists in the space informs the work and builds incredible levels of resilience for me and my co-collaborators and this creative project would not be possible without each of the team members – having a producer to hold the marketing and paperwork whilst being there to support the making was invaluable and that is just one example!...... and in all walks of life, we continue to see cuts of individuals we all rely on – the wider dream is to truly appreciate their value …
Oh, yes, just one more plug, Steve and I seem to be part of a theatre fringe festival in America – The Philadelphia digital Fringe festival. This surreal sentence of being part of a huge festival across the mighty open, seems to match the magical dream-like state of the work, Humetheus and The Quest for The Bronze Cloak. This performed postcard uses classical mythology to crash against the legend of (and the continuous fall-out which we are living through) the English Riviera. The work follows many themes and layers narrative upon counter-narrative of disability, contextualisation or our community, friendship, capitalism, living in a cultural vacuum, agency and reclaiming where we live. It is born out of a fascination of a new drone camera toy, childhood memory of parent reading Greek myths to me, a deep frustration of how Paignton is being let-down, that raw interest in when you’re fascinated by something through horror/disgust, many more things beside that … and of course the pier! The work is available to stream on demand right now – please do support us through pay-what-you-can tickets.