As part of our creative response to the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020, we partnered with Surge, Scotland’s leading circus and physical theatre company, to bring new community street theatre to Forres and Findhorn.
Working with Surge’s experienced Physical Theatre Practitioner and Co-ordinator, Melanie Jordan, we offered bursaries for two Trainee Street Theatre Directors. There was also an open invitation for participants from the local community to join rehearsals ahead of performances in October 2020.
Fourteen participants from Forres, Dyke, Findhorn, and Kinloss came together to rehearse with Surge at Forres Town Hall. Participants ranged from 13 to 76 years of age.
On the weekend of 24-25 October, participants took to the streets of Forres and Findhorn to show their newly acquired street theatre skills. On Saturday, four performers took to the streets of Forres as a group of maverick ‘Al Fresco Librarians’, while on Sunday, a shoal of ten gigantic fish used the streets of Findhorn as their playground.
The street theatre reached an estimated audience of around 120 people on Saturday, including a ‘surprised’ crowd at the Mosset Tavern and around 100 people out for a casual stroll in Findhorn on Sunday. It also attracted a small crowd of around 40 young people at the rehearsals.