Side Roads

A documentary Physical Theatre performance by Acting Now's group Drama Unlimited, in which participants with and without mental health challenges have devised "Side Roads", a play about different journeys we take: on the road, down memory lane and in our imagination. We explore the anxieties, fears, unexpected discoveries as well as the immense sense of freedom of travel. At its heart, this piece is about each participant, their life journey and the future hopes for this journey. This project is kindly supported by A14 Community Fund and Cambridgeshire Community Foundation.

The creative process:
Theatre practitioner Judita Vivas has been directing the group’s weekly sessions since February 2018, training the participants and coordinating the collaborative process of devising “Side Roads”. During the first two months the group spent the sessions meeting each other and creating a safe space, while working on different levels of communication, creativity and physicality, skills we need to communicate in a Physical Theatre language.

Prior to the devising process, participants took part in a research project in which they interviewed different people about their life experiences and memories about being on the road. With a selection of stories from the interviews and those collected during the group sessions, we put together a collage of personal experiences that served us as raw material and inspiration for the creation of “Side Roads”.

The performances:
Tue 20th Nov 7pm - Judith E Wilson Drama Studio Faculty of English CB3 9DP
Tue 27th Nov 7pm - Judith E Wilson Drama Studio Faculty of English CB3 9DP
Sat 1st Dec 6pm - Huntingdon Medway centre Medway Road, Huntingdon PE29 1SF
Sat 8th Dec 6 pm - Burleigh Hill Community Centre 6pm Constable Rd, Saint Ives PE27 3EQ

About Acting Now:
Acting Now is a social theatre company based in Cambridge (UK). Our goal is to transform lives through theatre. We put social, political and civic causes at the forefront of our work and devise creative drama projects that breathe life into the important social challenges facing participants and audiences alike.

At Acting Now we believe theatre is a catalyst for social change and should be for anyone and everyone, not limited by physical ability, condition, language or background. Our projects use the language of theatre with disadvantaged groups of varying abilities to enable them to find their voices in a safe and encouraging environment.
Throughout the workshops, we also build social and emotional skills, self-expression and self-esteem and address the stigma attached to certain conditions. The projects culminate in original theatre performances based on the stories that emerge from the group. Volunteers and actors often join our groups as enablers and work alongside our participants, helping them to participate fully in the activities. To scale our impact, we work alongside community organisations, charities and local authorities to empower their service users to take action and transform their lives.

About the director:
Judita Vivas is a Lithuanian actress and physical theatre artist. She is a Physical Theatre Practitioner with Acting Now, Associate Artist of DUENDE, and Research Collaborator on Icarus Performance Project (Malta). She is also Founder and Co-Director of Foxtale Ensemble (international female theatre collective) as well as Double Trouble (female theatre-duo with Miriam Gould).

Through The Cloud I Can See You

Through the Cloud, I Can See You & The Dramatic Relationship are original plays devised by students from local charity Rowan and directed by Acting Now theatre practitioners Marina Pallares and Rose Clark. After six months of busy weekly sessions, both drama groups have created beautiful performances regarding the subjects of transformation, choices, growing, forgiveness and love.

Rowan is a local charity and arts centre that helps improving the lives of people with learning disabilities through the provision of services and meaningful activities that improve health and wellbeing, as well as break down issues of social exclusion. They run a number of art studios one of them being dedicated for their drama group which is where all the magic happens.

As a part of the Acting Now team, we have had the honour to witness this bunch of creative minds transforming their thoughts into a story that will change the way we see this world. One of these stars includes Emma Anderson whose recent short film The Sky is the Limit has been picked up by festivals around the world. She said in one of her interviews that “Your only limits are what you cannot imagine.” This quote describes perfectly the process we have been involved in making Through the Cloud, I Can See You. To show your support, pin the date down, join us, and you contribute to the continuity of the drama group.

ACTING NOW INCLUSIVE THEATRE PROJECTS:

Throughout the workshops, we also build social and emotional skills, self-expression and self-esteem and address the stigma attached to certain conditions. The projects culminate in original theatre performances based on the stories that emerge from the group.