DROWNTOWN
Six strangers, weighed down by individual darkness, come to a coastal land. Seemingly abandoned, there is no one to help but themselves. Stuck between the remains of a broken community and the vast bleakness of the sea, they struggle with isolation, shame and failed support systems.
Gritty dance theatre, with autobiographical testimonials and text, this timely performance amplifies the voices of the vulnerable and unheard. With tenderness and honesty, DROWNTOWN holds up a mirror to a society at tipping point.
Choreographer Rhiannon Faith makes socially conscious work that raises awareness and lobbies for change. She asks here how we can champion authentic belonging for every person and save them from drowning.
TEAM
Choreographer/Director Rhiannon Faith · Executive Director/Producer Maddy Morgan · Project Producers Kerry Andrews, Olive Kane, Lydia Wharf · Devised with and Performed by Dominic Coffey, Sam Ford, Shelley Eva Haden, Donald Hutera, Finetta Oliver-Mikolajska, Marla King · Pearl Melanie Crawley · Rehearsal Director Shelley Eva Haden · Dramaturg Lou Cope · Design Amelia Jane Hankin · Lighting Design Zoe Spurr · Associate Lighting Designer Bethany Gupwell · Music Direction Molly O’Brien · Composer & Sound Design John Victor · Additional sound design Mark Webber · Costume Alice Barbero · Production Manager Kieran Enticknap · Company Counsellor Joy Griffiths · Original Devising Cast Lewis Bramble, Cherie Coleman, Shelley Eva Haden, Tom Heyes, Donald Hutera, Maddy Morgan · Film and Video Adam Sheldon & Big Egg Films · Photography Foteini Christofilopoulou
CREDITS
Co-produced by Harlow Playhouse. Commissioned by Cambridge Junction with commissioning support from DanceEast. Supported by Brighton Dome and Festival Ltd, South East Dance, and using public funding by Arts Council England.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
DROWNTOWN is about brokenness within ourselves and our communities. The work zooms in on the profound neglect of members of our community via the insidious construction of wealth and power. The aim of the work is to tackle these issues and dismantle barriers of shame and disgrace.
Our research took us to the coastal towns of Jaywick, Clacton-on-Sea and Great Yarmouth, where the communities are living with great levels of poverty and deprivation. We met people, talked, and wrote provocations. The research also included a Summit where we brought together a group of experts and specialists from the fields of philosophy, sociology, and addiction, to spend a day together discussing and exploring the themes from a wider societal perspective.
During development we worked in Brighton with Brighton Dome and Cascade Creative Recovery Cafe, meeting people in recovery. Through a creative workshopping process, participants created autobiographical solos around the themes of loneliness, being let down by the system, living by the sea, and what changes they would like to see in the world. These themes and experiences fed directly into the work, alongside the autobiographical experiences of the devising cast, and the wider research and aims.
DROWNTOWN premiered in 2021, and to date has been watched by 12.5K people online, and has toured the UK and China, reaching over 1500 audiences. DROWNTOWN Stories, the community engagement programme developed from the Brighton workshops has engaged 45 participants, in partnership with 3 partner charities.
“Rich, compelling, intriguing, and frequently beautiful, this is a piece that needs to be experienced”
“Rallying cry for more care and compassion in a society awash with grief, anxiety and loneliness”
“Drowntown is therefore a rare thing: a dance show that is imbued with an excoriating political message, calling for greater social awareness”