After months of closure, we were delighted to welcome live performance back to our Theatre 1 stage in October. A socially-distanced physical audience were treated to live music with Rash Dash presenting Don’t Go Back to Sleep: The Lockdown Album.
A live, verbatim album documenting everyday human experiences during the COVID-19 pandemic in Britain and beyond, Rash Dash gave voice to stories from around the world.
Making space to reflect on both the personal and the collective experiences of a very strange six months of 2020, The Lockdown Album (which is also available to listen to on Spotify) wove together a medley of emotions and impressions.
Lockdown imposed on many of us a time to contemplate and consider how we make the most of and appreciate what we have, and how to create opportunity and innovation within our new parameters. This is where HOME got inventive and put sustainability skills into action! Making the work during lockdown, the company sought out what we might have available in our stores to dress their set. The Technical and Programming team delivered the goods, repurposing parts of the set from Insane Animals, Bourgeois and Maurice’s gloriously glitzy new musical whose run had just ended when we were forced to close our doors back in March.
The stage set for Rash Dash’s Don’t Go Back to Sleep: The Lockdown Album
Bourgeois and Maurice in Insane Animals
Repurposing is a great way of reducing waste and considering a circular economy in design modelling. It breathes new life into materials and adds another story and dimension to the work. It considers consumption at every stage of a procurement cycle, and moves away from the linear model of buy –> use –> dispose. All ‘stuff’ has a carbon footprint and each purchase we make has an impact that exists before it reaches us, and long after we’ve finished with it. Responsible design, sustainable procurement and conscious consumption all combine to help us better consider our connection to materials and reduce waste.
On 4 Nov we once again closed our doors as we entered a second lockdown phase. We’re sad to be closed again but promise that we’ll return as soon as we can.
In the meantime, the show will go on(line)! Thanks to the hard work of our team, we’re thrilled to be able to bring November’s programme from our stage to your screens, and you can experience live-streamed performances at home. November also brings Black Friday, perhaps the ultimate day of consumption in the commercial calendar. If you are able to, as an alternative, please consider giving the gift of art and creativity by donating to HOME during lockdown. Thank you for continuing to support us as we work this all out together, and we look forward to seeing you soon.