DROWNTOWN, the new show from choreographer/theatremaker Rhiannon Faith, was set to tour this spring/summer with a Barbican run set for June and July, but for due to Covid19 all that has been postponed until 2021 (when it is hoped the Barbican dates can be rescheduled).
Set in an unnamed deprived coastal town, DROWNTOWN looks at six strangers weighed down by individual darkness in the seemingly abandoned town. Stuck between the remains of a broken community and the vast bleakness of the sea, they struggle with isolation, loneliness, shame and failed support systems.
Sound familiar? Created before Covid19 and lockdown changed our lives completely, the show nevertheless has an uncanny relevance to the new normal we have been struggling to get used to.
To bridge the gap, Faith has created DROWNTOWN LOCKDOWN, a digital prologue film. In this we meet the cast of DROWNTOWN in their own homes, before they leave for the beach, the setting for the show. Loneliness, involuntary isolation and the difficulty of leaving the house are all sensitively explored in this poignant, specially created piece.
‘There was an obvious disappointment that the tour was postponed’ said Rhiannon ‘but the themes and issues it explores have such a similarity to those that are affecting so many people during the lockdown that I wanted to get something out there that works in the current context but will remain relevant in the future.’
Dark, uncompromising and moving, yet accessible, tender and physically stunning, DROWNTOWN and DROWNTOWN LOCKDOWN continue the vein of gritty dance-theatre from this radical choreographer. Bold and brave, at times bleak (in keeping with its subject matter), the shows use autobiographical testimonials and text to give voice to the vulnerable and unheard in modern Britain’s areas of social deprivation.
DROWNTOWN LOCKDOWN will be launched on Thursday 9 July at 8pm via www.facebook.com/RhiannonFaithCo
The film (15 mins)Â will be screened followed by the trailer for the stage show (1 min) and a Q&A discussion with Rhiannon, DROWNTOWN LOCKDOWN Director Adam Sheldon and selected cast members.
Following this the film will be available to watch at www.rhiannonfaith.com
A new prologue for DROWNTOWN, from choreographer/theatremaker Rhiannon Faith, which was set to tour this year with a Barbican run in June and July will be released online
