How did you find out about the opportunity to become an Associate Artist?
My friend and colleague Sarah Shephard who runs Filskit Theatre, and who I work with on Mothers Who Make (MWM), drew my attention it when we first started doing MWM - which is working out really well; we have a lovely group of regulars. My youngest daughter has just gone to school and I thought, ‘Why not have a crack at it this year?’ So yeah, here we are! I was ridiculously chuffed to be selected, just over the moon. Lockdown made it a little bit of a limbo situation but it’s all kicking off again now and I am soooo ready to get started.
Can you tell us a little more about what you have been working on?
I have some ideas about community events and shows. The working title of the main show that I have got in mind is It Takes A Village - because it really does! Social media and virtual networks are there but people can feel so isolated in the first throes of parenthood. It’s putting all those ideas together and trying to find a way that we can get parents into a space, have the show as an icebreaker with comedy songs and sketches, and then have an opportunity for kids to play and parents to meet properly.
It won’t be as contrived as a baby class and the focus will shift to the parents, to those experiences that everyone has, to empower the parents and make people feel good. I am quite an outgoing person and I struggled at baby classes. I would go and I am usually quite good at talking to people but I found that I was thinking ‘oh no they probably all know each other / they don’t want to talk to me’, kind of thing and I am not even shy. What about shy people?
No one is saying to the parents that it’s OK to chat. It’s so difficult just to start chatting. So I am working on a show that will offer that space to create those connections and that support network. And allow people to have a laugh.
What do you like about The Point?
I love The Point. It’s regional and accessible, there’s so much diverse work that goes on, the spaces - the fact that you have so many options – the all-new toilets, the colourful ‘ribbons’ on the ceiling which show you which way to go. There’s a lot of thought which has gone into it and it’s clearly run by people who care. I think that is so important and it’s really reflected in the space.
