HOW MUCH OF OURSELVES DO WE SACRIFICE FOR THE LOVE OF STUFF!
Modern lifestyles can be glossy, competitive and obsessed with the consumerist ideal of owning more things, but raw human connections can be as polished and fake as the grinning nuclear family in a cereal advert. We are as packed and prepared as the things we own, ready for unrelenting judgement at the court of social-media. When happiness becomes confused with owning more things, we start to become things ourselves.
Through a combination of physical theatre and song “For the Love of Stuff” tells a story of a fantastical future world where the stuff we own has become more important than what we feel. A story of redemption and hope that will leave audiences moved, thrilled and inspired by its visual vibrancy, physicality and emotional breadth.
This is a new work and an idea that Artistic Director Sioda Adams has been developing since 2020. It features a strong narrative exploring themes that she has been keen to explore in her work with some urgency – due to the ongoing and devastating effects we’re seeing on the planet and humanity through society’s capitalist ideals. Through her work she aims to leave audiences with a sense of hope and willingness to come together to make positive change.
We carried out an ACE funded research phase in 2021, supported by 101 Outdoor Arts Creation Space and Warwick Arts Centre and have been extremely pleased to receive significant Arts Council investment earlier this year to go into a full creation phase with support from new partners Barnsley Civic, Wild Rumpus and The Belgrade Theatre in Coventry. It has also enabled us to deliver our extensive outreach and co-creation plans with community groups and schools alongside the creation. The work premiered at Leamington Art In The Park in 2023 and is set to tour in 2024 onwards.
SET & COSTUME DESIGN
Art can inspire action to change and shine a light on single-use plastic, I want to use this strength in the design of this piece. The set design is inspired by works of artists such as Sue Lipscombe’s “Bristol Whales” and the Washed Ashore volunteer project, who used discarded plastic to create artwork that highlights the amount of plastic choking the environment. We have worked with a team of designers and makers to bring visual vibrancy and theatrical magic to newly made set and costumes.
We have worked with recycled materials and upcycled branded sportswear to make the costumes, the set/props are built from repurposed materials as much as possible to minimise waste and our impact on the environment. The main weight bearing structure is a performance A-frame rig which forms the frame of the show and is used creatively to create a stands alone piece of art that audiences can walk through after the performance. An aerial hoop (that holds our aerialist playing the role of Mother Earth) is rigged to the A-frame.
DESIGN TEAM:
FIONA CHIVERS – Designer
KELLY JAGO – Designer & Maker
TOM CLEAVER – Set Designer/Maker
ARNIM FRIESS – Lightning Designer
GRACE EVANS – Designer & maker
LEA DEKANY – Animation & Digital Artwork
PRODUCTION TEAM:
AMY DALTON-HARDY – Executive Producer
KATIE HOLTOM – Assistant Producer
GRACE EVANS – Costume, set and tech support
FOR THE LOVE OF STUFF IS TOURING IN 2023!!
FOR THE LOVE OF STUFF TEASER
FOR SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY GROUPS & COLLEGES
We are running an extensive outreach programme alongside the creation of the show. If you’re a school, community group, college or university please get in touch to find out more and download our Education Pack by clicking on the button below.
JOINING IN…
Learn our songs and finale dance, make flowers, instruments and banners and join us at one of our live shows. Share your creations with us, we’d love to hear about what you’ve been making. Please tag us @earthbounddtw and add the hashtag #ForTheLoveOfStuff
Also follow our social media to find out where we’ll be teaching workshops.
Learn the song lyrics and have a go at this dance and join in at the performance.
FINALE SONG
Shanade Marrow & Alex Heane
TREES WILL FALL SONG
Sioda Adams
DO YOU WANT TO MAKE THE FUTURE A BETTER PLACE?
We want to hear your views, whether it’s thoughts on how people are behaving, or maybe an idea on how to make things better, we want you to send us a video of you telling us how you’re feeling.
MEET THE CREATIVE TEAM
SIODA ADAMS –
WRITER / DIRECTOR
Earth-Bound founder and director Sioda Adams works with a collective of freelance artists from a variety of different art forms including physical theatre, movement, music, aerial arts and clown, also working with inclusive practices by integrating BSL into her work. She works with multimedia to create thrilling, thought provoking theatre performance and film with storytelling at it’s core. Earth-bound aims to present high quality performance art with a focus on social and environmental justice, that is provocative and inspiring for audiences of all ages and backgrounds. Through our work we strive to share our knowledge and ultimately help to make a difference.
Sioda endeavours to build a company and working practices that are in line with her own ethics – to value everyone as an equal and make it possible for female identifying artists, mothers and older performers, from diverse backgrounds, to continue doing the invaluable work that they do. She aims to break conventions of the usual intense rehearsal schedules and find more flexible ways of working, that accommodate family life and regular work commitments, so that art/performance as a profession can be more sustainable for independent artists. Sioda is trying to be the change that she wants to see in our industry.
SARAH BLANC – REHEARSAL DIRECTOR
Sarah is an Irish choreographer, performer and host, creating dance comedy work and is Artistic Director of Moxie Brawl- a fresh all female inclusive dance theatre company. Sarah is one third of Annie Vicky Sarah- a trio of collaborators who are questioning ‘inclusive’ dance practices within creative settings.
As a freelance choreographer/movement director Sarah has worked with companies, organisations and artists such as Little Red Kettle, Complicite, Bryony Kimmings, Royal Opera House, Perth Concert Hall, The Place & Greenwich Dance. She is also host and co-founder of Inside Dance TV. Sarah is Rehearsal Director for ‘For The Love Of Stuff’ as well as accessibility consultant for the work.
STEPH TOWNSEND – DANCER/AERIALIST
Steph plays the role of ‘Marsha Mellow’ in the show, who is a curious character, with doubts about the plastic world she exists in. She discovers the growing flower and is the one to introduce the idea of taking off the plastic to reveal their true human form. She is a rebel in the plastic world but is also the one to initiate change and make peace with ‘Mother Earth’. Steph will also be leading on the delivery of the community engagement work including aerial hoop workshops for those who wish to learn.
Steph Townsend graduated from Coventry University in 2012, gaining a First Class Honours degree in Dance Making and Performance. She has worked as a dance/theatre/circus performer, aerialist, teacher and project manager over the past 10 years.
She began working professionally in 2012 and has worked internationally with companies such as Fidgetfeet Aerial Dance Theatre, Glass House Dance and Flux Dance Theatre.
Steph is interested in how dance, circus and well-being interact to create opportunities for people connect with each other and themselves.
CHEVON EDWARDS – DANCER
Chevon plays the role of ‘Joyless Desire’ a light fingered lively character who likes to think of herself as a celebrity influencer. She’s dazzling, gorgeous and is on everyone’s social media radar but struggles to keep up with the demands of being so popular.
Chevon is a professional dance practitioner, teacher and creative. Graduating from Northern School of Contemporary Dance she has performed works by Tavaziva Dance Company, Keneish Dance and Neshima Dance as well as participating in research projects and dance films directed by Patsy Browne-Hope Dance and Dr Tia-Monique Uzor. In 2022 Chevon was awarded a Masters in Dance Research for Professional Practitioners at Rambert School where she achieved a distinction.
SASKIA COLLYNS – AERIAL HOOP
Saskia plays ‘Mother Earth’ in the show – a beaten, bruised and burnt out being who’s actions are unpredictable, sometimes destructive and always reactive to the actions of the ‘Plastic Fantastic’ world.
Saskia Collyns is a creative movement practitioner who specialises in Aerial Arts and Physical Theatre. Saskia graduated from Rose Bruford College in 2019 with a BA in European Theatre Arts. She then furthered her training at Circomedia, where she focused on Aerial Hoop.
Saskia loves creating worlds where aerial and theatre come together. She enjoys working with socio political issues and finding the light and dark within them.
Since 2016 Saskia has performed within the Fringe and Festival Circuit. Her collaborators have included Earthbound, Inspiralled, Whiplash Immersive Arts, The LAB collective, Forgotten Circus,Boomtown, Fox and Badge and The Pomba Girls.
CHARLOTTE JARVIS – CLOWN/ACTRESS
Charlotte plays the role of ‘Iona Lot’. who is a middle manager, following orders from ‘Biggie P’ and enforcing the rules of the plastic world, she keeps everyone in line which means she can sometimes be a bit of a bully. Charlotte is also our puppet maker for the show and will be leading craft workshops with schools and community groups throughout the project.
Charlotte is an enthusiastic, passionate and intuitive performer, theatre-maker, director and puppet maker! Beginning her freelance career in 2017 after graduating from De Montfort University with a BaHon’s in Drama Studies, she has taken many roles from performer, puppet-Maker and clown. Her passion lies in her love for folklore, myth and the fantastical, often leading her to breathe new life into old stories. No audience is out-of-bounds, whether it be street theatre, specialised performances for disabled children and young people, in hospital wards or deep in the woodlands, Charlotte believes that theatre shouldn’t be contained by a stage and four black walls. She has previously worked with Bamboozle Theatre, Spark Arts and Enter Edem, on various shows and projects as well as independently with her one-woman puppetry show ‘Trinkets’ at the Nottingham Puppetry Festival (2021) and Hoopla! (2022) as well as campfire Critters at Forest Fields (2022).
SHANADE MORROW – SINGER/MUSICIAN/PERFORMER
Shanade has contributed to the songwriting in the show, in particular as the voice of ‘Mother Earth’, creating soulful and harmonious sounds for our original and live sound score. She is also delivering the music strand of our community engagement work.
Shanade has been performing live for 16 years. She has worked locally both solo and as part of female trio The Pips, who recently created music for the Mapping Women’s Suffragette project at Warwick Arts Centre. Shanade has also collaborated on 3 albums with Ape Music, who produce Afro-Cuban collaborations with top International musicians, such as Red Hot Chilli Peppers, Bob Dylan, Bruno Mars and many more, to bring awareness of ocean plastic pollution, maritime issues, climate change and natural disaster relief. Shanade has been involved in local community youth projects with SYDNI Centre, Leamington Spa and The Princes Trust, inspiring young people to find confidence through music.
ALEX HEANE – MUSICIAN / COMPOSER / SOUND DESIGNER
Alex joined Earth-bound during the creation phase of ‘For The Love Of Stuff’ as composer and performer, to play the ‘Ringmaster’ role ‘Biggy P’ and to blend vocals and other sound into the main score live on stage.
Alex Heane is composer, musician and performer from Newquay, Cornwall. He has toured and performed nationally and internationally with a range of theatre productions and musicians such as; The National Theatre’s ‘Jane Eyre’ and Wise Children’s ‘Wise Children’ and with artists such as Willy Mason, Rachael Dadd and Maja lena. Credits as a composer include, ‘Hamlin’ The Egg Theatre Bath, Seamas Carey’s ’Pagen Pandemonium’ and ‘Whale Town’ Tobacco Factory Theatre; He Trained in music performance and composition at Brunel university.
MEET THE APPRENTICES
NADIA MOHAMED – APPRENTICE PERFORMER/BSL INTERPRETER
Nadia will also be co-leading some of the community workshops throughout the project as Earth-Bound aim to inspire young people who may face the similar barriers.
Nadia is a Deaf performer who is working within Earth-Bound as an apprentice and helping us to integrate BSL into the creative language of ‘For The Love Of Stuff’. She has always had a love for Performing Arts and endeavoured to make this her profession. Sadly, due to access barriers and lack of funding for a BSL interpreter, she was unable to undertake professional training.
Nadia’s natural talent and bubbly personality is infectious and also feeds into her role in the show as ‘Bubble Wrap’. Earth-Bound are excited to provide her with professional experience and mentoring during the creation and performances of ‘For The Love Of Stuff’ and learn from her about making our work accessible to everyone.
GRACE EVANS – APPRENTICE DESIGNER / MAKER
Grace Evans simply loves to make weird and wonderful things. She graduated from the theatre and performance design BA at The Liverpool Institute for Performing Arts in August 2022. There she created set and costume designs for theatre and musicians. Experimenting with reusing waste and creating sustainably is her passion – aiming to build better worlds to inspire our own!
LEA DEKANY – APPRENTICE ANIMATOR / ARTIST
We have worked with 19 year old animation student & activist, Lea Dekany, from Southam in Warwickshire, asking her to respond creatively to themes related to the Climate Crisis, with her original illustrations being shared across our socials, throughout the R&D process. Lea has also created a digital comic book and an animation and art work which will appear in the show.
PRODUCTION TEAM
AMY DALTON-HARDY – EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Amy also specialises in outdoor arts, festivals, participation and community engagement, as well as strategic sector development. Amy is thrilled to be working with, supporting and producing Sioda’s work, along with all of the awesome Earth-bound team on the production of For the Love of Stuff.
Amy has a 17 year track record of senior roles in the arts, and now works on a full-time freelance portfolio of consultancy, producing, mentoring & development projects across the UK. Amy’s background & artistic specialism is in dance, with training from University of Surrey and Trinity Laban. Amy also specialises in outdoor arts, festivals, participation & community engagement, as well as strategic sector development. Amy has specific experience of working in fundraising, regularly working 1 to 1 with artists, companies & organisations securing over £1.25m since going freelance in 2020.
Amy was Senior Producer with Arches Worcester Festivals in 2021 and is currently Executive Producer with Xzibit Young Creatives & The Breaking League, Executive Director with Propel Dance – the UK’s first professional all wheelchair dance company and Co-Director (Development) of LYNNEBEC.
Amy is thrilled to be working with, supporting and producing Sioda’s work, along with all of the awesome Earth-bound team on the production of For the Love of Stuff.
See more about Amy at: www.amydaltonhardy.co.uk
KATIE HOLTOM – ASSISTANT PRODUCER
Katie is interested in how climate action can be expressed through the arts, previously collaborating with organisations such as National Trust and Imagineer to deliver environmentally focused festivals, and she is delighted to be able to continue this with Earth Bound, supporting the tour of their new show.
Katie is a Midlands based Artist and Creative Producer. She is passionate about providing opportunity to emerging artists and supporting children and young people to access the arts and cultural sector through a wide range of programmes and activities. She is keen to embed co-creation and youth voice across her work, collaborating with communities to ensure work is high quality and relevant.
For more information visit her website: www.katieholtom.co.uk
With thanks to our partners:
BARNSLEY CIVIC
THE BELGRADE THEATRE
WILD RUMPUS
101 OUTDOOR ARTS CREATION SPACE
THE ACTORS SPACE BCN
Many people think we have time to make changes but actually we need to act now.
Where we spend our money is where we have power.
Click here to see how you can make better choices >
-
Perfectly Imperfect
JUST ONE CHANGE – “I initially started to make a conscious effort to change some of my lifestyle choices when my daughter was born five years ago, realising just how much waste is being created through our everyday lives and in particular when we have children
