Mina Anwar, Darren Jeffries and Canadian actors Blythe Haynes and Ryan G Hinds star in a cross-Atlantic collaboration of Caridad Svich’s An Acorn presented by Oldham Coliseum Theatre and Toronto’s impel Theatre. The performance takes place live on Zoom on Thursday 6 May, followed by a recorded run from 7 – 17 May.
An Acorn is a poetic play about facing despair, healing and moving forward. Originally commissioned in 2017 by American Blues Theatre, the play opens the morning after an unspecified disaster and resonates with the struggles of people in living lockdown during the pandemic.
“It seemed as if a certain part of the world changed forever…”
Directed by Kendra Jones, Mina Anwar (The Thin Blue Line, Everybody’s Talking About Jamie) and Darren Jeffries (Hollyoaks) will receive the script and some specific instructions just an hour before the performance, whilst Canadian actors Blythe Haynes (An Atlas, A Necktie & Other Concerns) and Ryan G Hinds (#KanderAndEbb, We Will Rock You) will be rehearsed. The two groups of actors have never met before, adding to the sense of chaos and spontaneity.
Over one year on from the beginning of the first lockdown we continue to be isolated and, while vaccine rollouts mean that some semblance of ‘normal’ life will return, the experience of isolation, fear and upheaval will linger with us.
We have learned in this time about our fellow humans, and while there have been moments of hope, the divide between factions feels to have grown into a chasm. Will we ever reconnect? Or has the awareness of these differences changed us forever?
An Acorn is a live digital performance with an interactive twist, taking place both over Zoom and on Social Media. Upon booking audiences will receive a link to download the show’s accompanying soundscape and instructions on how to curate their space and interact with the piece with pandemic portraits on Instagram at @forest_acorn.
