Culture Vulture Rich Jevons talks to director Tom Wright and writer Emma Adams about Home Sweet Home, a collaboration between Freedom Studios and Entelechy Arts in association with The Albany and ARC, Stockton Arts.
Home Sweet Home is a project that has involved some two years of Research and Development and now has its world premiere at the Ukrainian Centre, Bradford. Director Tom Wright explains: “Freedom Studios has always been interested in telling stories about the people behind stereotyped headlines. We wanted to make a show that takes the idea of older people and asks: What does it mean to be older in Britain today? And have we challenged the stereotype?”
Writer Emma Adams enthuses: “I’ve always been interested in writing for theatre in unusual spaces. We wanted to tell a strong story and for it to be a really extraordinary experience and that it was going to mean something.
“The result [of the R&D] was not just about talking to older people but also what this otherly experience was going to be and how we would find a way that would create a piece of work that was truly participatory or immersive.”
Tom adds: “The key challenge we had was what form we could give the piece where older people especially could come who had never been to the theatre, people who perhaps felt excluded from theatre and also embrace younger people and school groups.
“So we ended up with the idea of a space that was part theatre, but also part somebody’s living room. Our chorus of older people had never acted before and the audience come in and they make you a cuppa and give you a biscuit. The walls are lined with pictures of their actual family; they sit and chat to you about their life so you build up a rapport with your personal chorus mentor.”
So the community cast are central to the piece and without any pretention that they are anything other than amateur actors. But what role does the chorus play? “The chorus is a way of telling the story,” Tom explains, “they have created the event so it’s very much theirs. The seven professional actors are much less aware of the audience and more aware of the reality of the story.
“So our chorus pass comment, can magically make things appear, can do song and dance routines, but they don’t necessarily all agree. They’re a friend, warm and cheeky though not necessarily trustworthy. It enables us to explore some quite dark stuff in a way that is optimistic and forward-looking.”
But Emma is keen to point out that whilst it is an issue-based piece it is not some liberal attempt to be somehow worthy. “No one wants to come to a lecture but there are lots of difficult things for older people right now, there are lots of things that aren’t okay. There are also lots of joys and surprises. So the show is an attempt to portray older people from lots of different angles.”
The professional cast includes Jean Rogers (Dolly Skilbeck in Emmerdale) as Barbra, desperately fighting to keep her husband Ron (American-born actor Stephen Schrieber)off dementia medication; Phillipa Peak (Effie in Emmerdale) as Jo, manager of a care home under huge systemic pressure to tr4eat people as units; Mani Dosanjh as Iffty, a younger care worker aware of the corners cut in the home and what they mean.
Plus Bhajwna Bhawsar as Daadi the ghost of Iffty’s grandmother;; Kevin Golding as Moses, an ex-cabbie with a passionate sense of mission and purpose despite the frustration of his physical restrictions; and Judy Norman as Rosa, who won’t accept that she needs looking after and is essentially frightened too.
Tom says of the relationship between the community and professional actors has resulted in a level of mutual support that is ‘beautiful’ and whilst he has worked with both community and pro casts previously, this is a first for directing both at the same time.
Emma sums up that she wants the play to be part of a conversation on its subject that will be relevant and attitude-changing to all of its audiences – “COME ON!” she shouts in a demand for change.
Home Sweet Home tours from 16th September to 4th October starting at Bradford’s Ukrainian Centre, click here for details.
