One of the most exciting things I get to do is audience development. In different fields and settings this idea can take up a variety of forms. For me, and in the kind of work I do, it's about pinning down the importance of a piece of theatre, and making sure the people who should see it, hear about it, and are present. It's curating a group of people to witness and experience. It's not about sticking up enough posters to get enough bums on seats but about properly asking, "who needs to see this?", getting the word to those people, and then fostering an atmosphere of welcome.
It is a joy when I'm able to work on something that speaks so brilliantly for itself, and is something that I can have a genuine enthusiasm to shout about.
with bread is a performance where the History of bread meets personal histories of migration. Over the course of the performance, audience members take part in making flatbreads which are served, along with a seasonal stew, at the end of the show. The story told in with bread traces the journey of this staple and heavily symbolic food from prehistory to Brexit Britain, via biblical times and the Arab Spring.
with bread is in turn a poetic history lesson, an opportunity to hear voices from the margins, and a baking class. with bread is an attempt to explore what it means to share a culture, to make community and to belong in an everchanging and globalised world.
In the context of Brexit and heated debates around identity politics, with bread brings people together in a joyous celebration of diversity and difference. The piece is performed with a different cast of migrant locals everywhere it takes place.
Join us in 10 days at Stage@Leeds for with bread
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