All of these stories actually happened
Afloat invites us to image life as a person seeking asylum | Latest NW arts news
Right now, I’m looking out of my kitchen window at our magnolia tree. This tree that’s almost worth risking my marriage over because my husband would love to chop it down to bring more sun to the garden, and I have flatly refused. It’s part of the reason I loved our house, before it was our house, because for just a couple of weeks a year it is covered in the most glorious milky-pink lanterns that bring joy whenever you look at them.
At this point in early-spring, the display is already past its best - there’s only a day or two when all the flowers have opened before the petals start falling from the tree. But it’s still beautiful. And while you could take all this as a metaphor for life, I’m choosing instead to think about how it relates to the arts. Every day of an exhibition, every run of a production is something that can only be experienced for a short time before it’s lost - except to memory - forever. Even if you record it in some way it’s not the same, because it isn’t live.
This transience is part of what makes watching a play or walking around a gallery so special, but it also puts pressure on as you worry about missing the opportunity to enjoy something that won’t happen again in exactly the same form. Still, it’s a nice problem to have.
‘All the stories are true. These things have happened’
Have you ever imagined yourself into the shoes of people seeing asylum? Looked around at your home and your belongings and wondered what it would be like to lose it all in a split second? Hugged your children and wondered how you would ensure their security if you had to escape the place that had always made them feel safe?
It’s terrifying, which is probably why most of us don’t imagine it often, and some of us never at all. But it’s what theatre-maker Phoebe McSweeney is inviting audiences to do as they watch her new play Afloat, created with people seeking help from Asylum Link Merseyside.
“I aim to make theatre for social change so I find groups who may not have access to the arts, mainly adults, and I ask them about local issues that they want to create a piece of theatre about,” she says.
“My attention was really drawn to people who were seeking asylum, and seeing the way politicians spoke of people who were seeking asylum, and the effect that was having on these people. I thought, ‘I would love for these people to really understand what it actually is like to seek asylum.’"
So McSweeney contacted Asylum Link and began conversations with people about their own experiences, and how they might be incorporated into a story that flips the current situation - instead of people seeking asylum in the UK, it would be UK citizens who had to flee to a different (fictional) country.
She spent three months running workshops with people seeking asylum, including training in movement, singing, acting, directing, stage managing, bringing in professionals to lead some of the sessions. McSweeney also led creative writing activities, during which she collected stories that went into the script she wrote with Dora Colquhoun.
“The script is meant to be fictional, and it’s about English people seeking asylum, but all the stories within it are true. These things have happened,” she says.
Rehearsals took place at Liverpool Lighthouse last year, when they also performed the play twice. When McSweeney asked the people involved in Afloat whether they wanted to revisit it, they said they wanted to take it to more venues.
As well as the North West tour, which features two people seeking asylum, two professional actors and musicians, they are working on an exhibition and a Zine. The story is being expanded to look at anti-immigration riots and counter protests.
“It’s also going to be looking at, is this political system actually working for anyone in the end?” says McSweeney. “A lot of anger put in the direction of these vulnerable people where really we should be working together.”
Afloat is at Octagon Theatre in Bolton (Saturday, May 17), Unity Theatre in Liverpool (Friday, May 23 and Saturday, May 24), Lowther Pavilion in Lytham St Annes (Thursday, May 29), The Studio in Widnes (Saturday, May 31) and Theatre Porto in Ellesmere Port (Saturday, June 7).
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9️⃣ Following a sold out West End season, Steve Pemberton and Reece Shearsmith are taking the critically acclaimed Inside No.9 Stage/Fright, to theatres around the UK this autumn, including a run at the Manchester Opera House from (Tuesday, October 14 to Saturday, October 18) and the Liverpool Empire (Tuesday, November 18 to Saturday, November 22).
🎤 Liverpool’s Epstein Theatre will hold its first test event this month ahead of officially reopening its doors for a full autumn season of entertainment. Afternoon cabaret show Dancing in the Aisles, on Sunday, 20 April, will be a recurring slot at the Epstein, with the first one hosted by Liverpool-based actor and comedian Lindzi Germain. The line-up will include singer-songwriter Asa Murphy, stage and screen star Crissy Rock, LiverBird Victoria Jones and vocal trio The Livertones. Tickets include a welcome drink.
👷 As Oldham prepares to celebrate the reopening of the town’s much-loved Old Library, the exhibition New Life in an Old Building gives an insight into the work that has been carried out to restore the building to its former glory. It’s at Gallery Oldham until Saturday, May 31.
☀️ Liverpool BID has announced another summer of free festivals designed to showcase the best of the city’s food, drink, culture and hospitality. They are Celebrating Castle Street (Sunday, August 3), Celebrating Bold Street (Sunday, August 17), The Last Day of Summer on Liverpool’s waterfront (Saturday, August 30) and, new for this year, Hope Street Blend (Friday, September 26 to Sunday, September 28).
In case you missed it
Opening this week
War Horse, the story of farm boy Albert’s quest to find his beloved Joey in First World War France, opens at the Liverpool Empire on Tuesday, April 8. Michael Morpurgo’s original story is told through drama, music and songs with life-sized horses by South Africa's Handspring Puppet Company. It runs until Saturday, April 19.
One for families
The brand-new stage adaptation of The Baddies, Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s smash-hit 2022 story, heads to The Atkinson, Southport (Wednesday, April 30 to Thursday, May 1) and Lowry, Salford (Friday May 2 to Sunday May 4). Adapted by David Greig and Jackie Crichton, the show is directed and choreographed by Katie Beard, with songs by Joe Stilgoe (Zog and The Flying Doctors).
Thank you for reading the 127th edition of Stored Honey. If you enjoyed what you read then please hit the ❤️ button as it helps to get it shown more widely.
I’m off now to get ready for the final talk in Wirral Arts & Culture CLT’s series exploring 'Outsider Art' at Make Hamilton this afternoon. Angela Samata is leading a panel of artists talking about their experiences as self-taught creators who exist outside the mainstream art world.
In the meantime, you can get hold of me on Instagram, on Bluesky, in the comments or by replying to this email.
Have a great week,
Laura
P.S. Castlefield Gallery has changed its email signature to reduce its carbon footprint
We went to watch Afloat last year and everyone was talking about it , I wasn’t surprised wow what a powerful performance it was , it reduced us to tears and not just us when we looked around the audience, well done to all involved and we shall be going again this year .
This is the second Substack post. I’ve read in 24 hours that features outsider art. Jenni Eclair discussed it too. It’s something I’m aware of and I saw an incredible puppet piece of theatre years ago in Edinburgh inspired by an outsider artist, that really resonated.
I must investigate…