On The Grass
On The Grass (Royal Exchange Theatre; Photo – Joel Fildes)
Royal Exchange Theatre (2013)
In July 2013, Truth about Youth at the Royal Exchange Theatre took to the streets of Manchester with ON THE GRASS – a weekend of deckchair lounging, free entertainment and a few surprises, featuring a packed programme of music, performance and street theatre organised by a team of TAY Young Leaders.
The two day event, which I produced alongside colleagues from the TaY team, was centred round a specially created astro-turfed area complete with deckchairs and a PA system. Taking pride of place ‘on the grass’ was an 8-foot tree, designed and built by the Young Leaders working with Manchester-based artist Fiona Smith. The tree provided a focal point for interactions with the public who were invited to come and add leaves and acorns to the branches, answering the question “what seeds do we need to sow for young people’s future to blossom?”.
Entertainment highlights included performances from 17 talented young singers, musicians, dancers and spoken word artists who performed throughout the weekend. Professional street theatre duo Molly Orange (a North West based street performance company) brought their playful acrobatic performance Little Wonder to the event and pop up theatre was provided by our intergenerational teams of strolling Change Players, who questioned members of the public as to what they really think about young people today. Members of the Turn It Up Radio team were also out on the streets engaging with adults and gathering perceptions and opinions.
On The Grass (Royal Exchange Theatre; Photo - Joel Fildes)
