Taking Flight Theatre company announce brand new show to watch ONLINE via Zoom!

Taking Flight Theatre company have announced that later this month they will be performing a brand new play using Zoom, enabling viewers to watch the show from the comfort of their own homes.

The play, First Three Drops, is aimed at those aged 2-9 years old and their families and because it has a party atmosphere viewers will be encouraged to dress up, have fun and take part in the action. I better get my tickets – quick!

Taking Flight Theatre were originally meant to be working on another play to eventually tour with, but because of Coronavirus their plans had to change and so the idea to move online came along.

Inspired by a show called Gwion and the Witch, which they previously toured with, First Three Drops was created with the intention of offering some much needed escapism and fun interaction for young children and their families.

Curious as to how the move online would impact the work, I spoke to deaf actor Steph Back, who is one of the four actors in the show.

Hi Steph! How did you feel about the idea of taking part in a Zoom show? Have you ever done anything like this before?

I was really excited to be part of this show on Zoom. I’ve been involved with Elise with Bath Spa University research project called “Lockdown Landscapes” which really opened my mind to what is creatively possible online.

I’ve also seen quite a few shows on zoom during lockdown which have been a sit and watch type set up, so I’m very excited to see how we will make this interactive with the audience as that is one thing I really have missed!

I was worried about screen fatigue, which I struggle with; but we have so many breaks and the days have been really thoughtfully planned out so this isn’t a worry I have any more!

How easy has it been communicating with the creative team virtually? Have there been any advantages working in this way rather than in person?

One amazing benefit of online is that we can work together no matter where we are in the world! Paul – another actor – is in London for example and I am in Cardiff – yet we don’t have to travel for hours each day to work together, we are in the same “zoom room” from the comfort of our homes!

And of course the added bonus that I am never far away to my kitchen for making the perfect cups of tea whilst working!

I love the fact that the team are really passionate about sign language and Deaf awareness too; we have interpreters full time of course, but I can for example communicate directly to the director if I want to as Elise is on her level 6 BSL. It’s a very welcoming and accessible environment that has been created online so I feel we have many benefits to the virtual environment and are taking full use of them!

How did you prepare for this work?

I feel like the university project I did with Elise at the start of lockdown really helped me to prepare for this. I also run Taking Flight Youth Theatre for Deaf and HOH young people and since the university project completion I’ve been teaching some of these skills that I learnt to our young people and this has helped me to learn further too.

I always like to have a rough translation of the script ready before we start rehearsals too, we will work on this in rehearsals but I personally love to “hit the ground running” when it comes to this!

How are rehearsals going? Can you describe a typical rehearsal day?

Rehearsals are brilliant – I can already feel a wonderful energy from the team which really helps when you are being creative! I love how we are exploring interaction between each other online and how that is different to a real space. There was certainly a lot of laughter today!

We receive a schedule for the day beforehand so we know what to expect and when, sometimes we are working as a full group and sometimes we are given tasks to work on on our own or with a couple of others. For example me and Paul made the BSL flyer this afternoon whilst Sam and Ioan (the remaining actors) were working on other tasks!

How did you, as a working actor, feel during the lockdown? How has it affected you career wise?

At the start of lockdown my mental health was massively impacted. It was very hard to see a whole year of work that I was very excited about all disappear from under my feet. I was also really worried about my Mam who had been working on the hospital intensive care units all through this too which was always on the back of my mind.

My rock, so to speak through lockdown was Taking Flight and we carried on the youth theatre (not letting anything stop us!) throughout which really helped me too. I’ve been incredibly supported by them throughout lockdown; not just with amazing opportunities like this but also emotionally too. I feel incredibly lucky to work for such a supportive company that really care about everyone within the team.

I’d love to know what or who inspires your work?

Well I was born hearing and became fabulously Deaf around the age of 16; becoming Deaf really shaped me as a person, finding my Deaf identity, learning BSL – I found I really fell in love with acting after becoming Deaf interestingly enough! I love becoming other people, escaping into other worlds, telling stories and seeing the impact that that can have on the people watching – I love it!

What do you hope the audience will take from this Zoom performance of First Three Drops?

I hope they love it! Certainly from today I know that it is going to be great fun and I hope it brightens up their day! Also I want them to see that access within a performance is really cool! And should be there, and I want them to grow up expecting this as the norm (as it should be!) for access to be creatively entwined within a piece. And also, of course, to learn a bit about Welsh stories too!

 

Tickets for the Zoom performance of First Three Drops on Saturday 29th August can be purchased here:

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/booking/select/jcZMNGOdDCWF