Gritty dance theatre piece DROWNTOWN comes to The Mill in 2021. Along with several other venues, we streamed the digital prologue DROWNTOWN LOCKDOWN via our Facebook page on 9th July 2020. Watch it below.
Six strangers, weighed down by individual darkness, look out on a coastal land from their living rooms. Seemingly abandoned, there is no one to help but themselves. Stuck between the remains of a broken community and the vast bleakness of the sea, they struggle with isolation, shame and failed support systems.
Made during the COVID-19 lockdown in the performers’ homes, DROWNTOWN LOCKDOWN is a digital prologue to our new show DROWNTOWN which will now premiere in 2021.
Gritty dance theatre, with autobiographical testimonials and text, this timely virtual performance gives voice to the vulnerable and unheard. Loneliness, involuntary isolation and the difficulty of leaving the house are all sensitively explored in this poignant, specially created film. With tenderness and honesty, DROWNTOWN LOCKDOWN holds up a mirror to a society at tipping point.
Age guidance: 15+ due to strong language, and themes of isolation, depression and suicide.
If you feel you need some extra support you can contact the Samaritans 24-hours a day:
- call 116 123
- or visit www.samaritans.org
Choreographer/Director: Rhiannon Faith
Director: Adam Sheldon (Big Egg Films)
Director of Photography: Ruari Barratt
Creative Producer: Maddy Morgan
Associate Producer: Olive Kane
Devised with and Performed by Lewis Bramble, Cherie Coleman, Shelley Eva Haden, Thomas Heyes, Donald Hutera, Maddy Morgan
Music Director: Molly O’Brien
Composer: John Victor
Costume: Alice Barbero
PR: Steve Forster at sfp communications
Photography: Foteini Christofilopoulou
Digital Marketing: Shelley Eva Haden
Online Premiere facilitated by Carve Productions
With special thanks to: Dolly Blue, Corrin Bramble, Marc Coleman, Lou Cope, Merlyn Griffiths, Tony Mills, Anna Magdalena O’Brien, Elizabeth O’Brien, Robin Pollard.
DROWNTOWN LOCKDOWN is supported using public funding by Arts Council England’s Emergency Fund. Presented in partnership with the Barbican, Harlow Playhouse, Gulbenkian and The Mill.
DROWNTOWN is Co-produced by Harlow Playhouse. Commissioned by Cambridge Junction with commissioning support from DanceEast. Supported by Brighton Dome and Festival Ltd, South East Dance, and using public funding by Arts Council England.
#VIRUSVULNERABILITIES
#virusvulnerabilities is a short series of dance and creative writing online workshops exploring some of the themes of DROWNTOWN. You’ll get a taster of Rhiannon Faith Company’s creation processes, using autobiographical experiences and transforming them into your own dance theatre Solo Story. Find out more at www.rhiannonfaith.com/virusvulnerabilities
