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Cellarworks
Commissioned by the Greenwich and Docklands International Festival in 1999.
Set in a damp, low ceilinged cellar of an old rag-trade building in Hackney, East London, this site-specific piece enthralled audiences young and old as the hero experienced a series of surreal encounters with the workers and the materials before finding the suit of his dreams.
A team of four artists worked with William Patten School, a short walk from the site, exploring changes in the children’s lives through video, sculpture, dance and puppetry. The theme of change was picked up through the transformation that took place in the creating of a garment, from cutting a pattern to wearing the finished article. The children were kept informed of the creation of the piece and made site visits as the installation and rehearsals progressed.
Child’s play: If theatre can help adults cope with change and trauma, can it do the same for eight-year-olds? Lyn Gardner investigates.
READ THE GUARDIAN ARTICLE HERE
