Building In Public

Staging a play is one thing, taking it on tour is another. Lots of talented theatre makers do this every day in increasingly challenging circumstances and ever changing contexts.

But what if you wanted to stage a play in a found space on the high street in several towns across the country?

And what if you wanted the key creative elements of the play - the set, the costumes, the score, the visual effects - to be co-created with local people in each of the different tour locations?

How about if the themes of the play were also a catalyst for a bespoke placemaking programme delivered in partnership with stakeholders in each place?

And what if those programmes also connected to cultural tourism, heritage development, creative skills development, high street revitalisation and health outcomes for each area?

And you took it on tour in the middle of a cost of living crisis?

We couldn’t think of anyone who had done this before.

That’s why we decided to document our process and share it online.

Welcome to the Keep On Keepin’ On! Production Diaries: a ‘behind the scenes’ account of building a multi-partner, multi-site, multi-community tour production about contemporary British working class people and places trying to stay afloat during the cost-of-living crisis whilst they’re clinging on to the past.