A self-led, inter-generational community company is to perform its debut production at the Courtyard Theatre near Old Street next week.
Jumble Theatre Company was born from a community theatre project at Jacksons Lane theatre in Highgate, titled A Borough United. It was initially funded by the Lottery Heritage for a 12-week project that called on local residents for stories about the borough so as to create a scripted history of Haringey for a one-off performance.
Liz Hainsworth, the company’s managing director and producer of the new show, tells me: “Expect the unexpected. The whole concept for the show is change - and there is a lot of that here.
“States is a fast-paced show built from lots of scenes from separate stories, the majority of those stories written by us. There are several short stories and snippets of real life, in this production, all shown sequentially.
“More than anything, this is a very human show that aims to show how multi-faceted our experiences are.”
The show incorporates physical theatre, vocal soundscapes, original devised work, and re-workings of real-life experiences, which all add to the texture of the production and pose questions that the audience may need time to consider.
Liz adds: “There are moments in the show that provoke a lot of tension and heartache, but also laughter and beauty. If people leave with a lot to ‘figure out’, we hope that people will thinking about the show for days to come and think differently about it each time. Sometimes it takes a while to process what you’ve experienced.”
When I asked how the process has been she tells me: “We are constantly playing with ideas but once we all were settled with the concept, it took around three months.
“With a company that has as many personalities and quirks as ours, there is never a dull moment. Just recently one the younger members of the company said ‘after this show, we are going to have such a massive urethra’. We quickly realised he meant euphoria. Moments like that provide enough entertainment.”
The Courtyard Theatre, Bowling Green Walk, Old Street, Friday, April 22 and Saturday, April 23. Details: 0844 477 1000
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