Cascade Creative Recovery are an exciting organisation working with people in recovery and their friends, families and supporters. They have recently established a choir who kindly let me perform Not a Séance at the end of their rehearsal on Tuesday 19th August.
I was very nervous as I really didn’t know what to expect and we had only decided that it would go ahead the day before. Fortunately I walked into the end of their rehearsal to hear a gorgeous version of Hey Jude being sung, and I knew that it would be ok. Everyone was welcoming and very happy to join in with me.
It was my first experience of having children at the performance and I got Chloe involved in helping me bless the potatoes. She thought they should go in three piles, happy, sad and grumpy. All the small potatoes were sad.
The audience were both playful and serious and through the readings and vegetable meditations we discussed sprouts, butternut squash and aubergine.
I changed a few elements of the performance after my Manchester Mini-tour and have reflected on them here.
The group gave me lots of valuable feedback including the following:
It was about personal growth, teaching self development but fun. I like the interaction, you held the crowd. It was diverse
borderline between reverence and satire
not sure how serious you were
it was about gratitude
a bit like panto with lots of layers – funny rude layers – “Carry on Vegetables”
I liked holding the potato and imagining…also writing “up” and “down” words
out with the old and in with the new
reminded me of a pagan “Make your own deity” workshop
reminded me of gay men’s gathering where you threw things on paper that you didn’t want into a fire.
energy engagement
connection and curiosity.
