I’ve been thinking about hope a lot recently.
When I set up small performance adventures in 2018, I wanted to connect people so that together we could make things happen that helped us think more, feel more and laugh more. I’m mad about metaphor and play. I know how creativity can dissolve harmful social hierarchies, and bring us together as our playful, authentic selves. I have started to call this part of the work joy in a dark place.
It doesn’t take away the grief, loss and challenges that life provides, but it can shine a light in dark places. It creates connection, joy and moments of magic.
Over the past eight years we’ve created performances, films, workshops and public events with people affected by addiction, homelessness, the criminal justice system, sex work, ageing and social isolation. Some projects have toured nationally. Others have taken place in prisons, recovery settings, community spaces and online.
Between 2018 and 2023 we had a very good run of funding and created many, if I say so myself, impactful and beautiful projects. The Washing Up toured nationally with a cast of artists in recovery. Our five-year Overdose Awareness Day project brought together recovery organisations across seven cities to create acts of remembrance and respect.
We’re now developing two new projects: Creative Acts of Joyful Protest, using banner making to help us hear and be heard in polarised times, and Book of Death, which will start conversations about the end of life by creating beautiful documents about our post-death wishes.
Since 2024 the funding climate has changed. This year alone we’ve received more than ten funding rejections. It would be fair to say I’d begun to lose hope.
Fortunately I am very lucky to have the support of a committed, playful and trusting board. They suggested we should do something active to raise money and tell more people about our work.
So we’re going on a mission to find hope this August.
We’re calling it Five Go on a small performance adventure.
Our destination is Hope Gap, just beyond Seaford Head.
We’ll spend the day walking. Alone and together we’ll notice and discover things.
We’ll be carrying our big banner “Five Go on a small performance adventure”. We’ll have conversations about hope and adventure with the people we meet.
What might we learn about hope from the people, animals and objects we encounter?
Joining me on the walk are Helen Meade, Alex Cooke and Toni Slater, along with our fifth adventurer, Martha the dog. Martha has been part of small performance adventures from the very beginning, often to be found offering emotional support to participants and occasionally barking through workshops for absolutely no reason.
We’re hoping to raise £9,000
Your donation will help small performance adventures continue creating work that brings people together through creativity. It will support artistic planning, guest artists, participant travel bursaries, shared meals, partnership meetings, publicity, evaluation, support for artists in recovery and the everyday running costs that keep a small charity going.
If our work has ever made you think more, feel more, laugh more or feel a little less alone, we’d love you to support our search for hope.
We promise to share what we find.
Our £9,000 fundraising target will support:
£2,000 – One month’s core running costs for small performance adventures.
£3,500 – Book of Death Development, including research, trial workshops, participant expenses, documentation, space hire, interviews and guest artists,
£3,500 – Creative Acts of Joyful Protest development including partnership research, publicity, artist support, materials and evaluation.
To donate: click here
