Reve(a)l Productions CIC | Joanna Procter
Joanna Procter set up Reve(a)l Productions CIC to support the growth and development of people who are marginalised/disadvantaged using Applied Theatre and putting on devised ‘Shows with Meaning’ in local community settings.
2019 Update
It is now 2 years since I participated in the Entrepreneurs programme and the company I formed at the time Reve(a)l Productions CIC has settled into a steady build up of activity. The company works on a mix of directly grant funded projects, or with other companies, who have secured the funding for the projects, bringing us in to work with them.
What we do
Reve(a)l Productions aims to support the growth and development of people who are marginalised or disadvantaged using Social & Community Theatre (Applied Theatre) and putting on devised ‘Shows with Meaning’ in local community settings. We work flexibly on a range of projects and funding. Audiences may be small and connected to the performers or in a wider setting – the performances bring a message to the audience that is critical to the development of the performers in changing their lives and the lives of people in the audience.
Reve(a)l Productions provides opportunities for adults and young people from all walks of life to explore drama and co-create performance as a tool for action, empowerment and transformation, both as an individual and in wider communities. We recognise that performance is immediate and an outcome of a process that involves action research, collaboration, discovery and play. Reve(a)l Productions offers individuals, groups and communities the circumstances to create meaningful experiences – journeying together through storytelling, movement, voice work, and performance. We are also branching into devised films – see our work on ‘Care As You Are’ and a new website we have set up imaginAge™ to show films telling stories about age.
What we have been doing recently
‘Pattern Up’ 2018-19
With two grants from Arts Council England and one from Westhill we have developed a play called ‘Pattern Up’. Pattern Up was performed 9 times in all, mainly at community centres in North London, the College of Haringey, Enfield and NE London (twice) and two venues in Leicester where June grew up. Approximately 600 attended the performances. We are exploring how to take the play to more venues including schools following the encouragement of audiences. After each show the cast held a discussion with the audiences and gave information about the proposed work of Communities Against Violence Haringey.
‘Pattern Up’ is a new play devised and based on community activists Ken Hinds' and June Tuitt’s lives. It connects with historic vibrations impacting on young African Caribbean men and women in Haringey, exploring themes of family, violence, race and personal redemption.
We wanted to engage audiences in talking about how they can reduce youth conflict in their area. The project promoted grassroots community action through Communities Against Violence Haringey (CAVH) founded by Ken, June and other community activists in Tottenham, raising awareness and encouraging people to support its work to end the escalating youth violence tearing up the African Caribbean community in North London.
We engaged with young people and local community members, to inform the development of the play that will bring impact and meaning to the issues and wounds felt in African Caribbean communities. We hope it will inspire young people to make positive life choices, supported by community elders as requests to take the play into schools and colleges are coming from people who have seen the play.
We demonstrated the power of theatre as a medium for expressing difficult themes about intergenerational trauma, family break up, youth violence, in a way that engaged audiences of all ages notably the African Caribbean communities in North East London and Leicester. ‘I can relate to that’ was a common feedback after the shows.
Feedback and requests to take the play into schools and other cities suggests that it was experienced as a powerful vehicle for bringing the issues to people in away that can be related to by the audience: ‘Family Violence Redemption’
Performance audiences crossed the intergenerational divides in the community settings, and 2 performances involved 250 college students in Tottenham. The play was supported by a number of community activists representing different generations in the African Caribbean community.
“Care As You Are” the film
We have made this film with imaginAge™. “Care As You Are” is about the emotional impact of caring for parent or spouse with dementia. The film is directed by Joanna working with dementia expert Jane Dalrymple and writer Frances Clare, and working closely with carers’ groups in Somerset to ensure the script meets the needs of carers.
It is our experience that conversations surrounding dementia in loved ones can be awkward and pushed under the carpet especially when talking about feelings. People can feel isolated, frustrated and invisible.
Initially, engaging carers in Somerset to develop content, the film has now been finally edited following feedback into two versions – one is a straight-through version and the other pauses at the end of various scenes for reflections and questions relevant to the preceding scene. We are now looking at how the film can be used as a training and development tool for professional carers, health workers and community groups to support emotionally family carers caring for relatives with dementia – and how we can fund this development work.
This project is being funded by a grant from “the Solutions for an Ageing Society” programme run by Somerset Community Foundation in partnership with UnLtd, South West Academic Health Science Network and the Esmée Fairbairn Foundation.
“Somerset Charabanc 2019” with Somerset Wildlife Trust and Wassail Productions
Joanna is again working with Nick White of Wassail, to devise and direct a new Charabanc production, once again funded through Arts Council England. As before in 2016 and 2017, the performances will take place on a Millers Cart drawn by two shire horses on which the audience (of about 20 people each show) will travel through the Somerset landscape and experience a tale of mystery and mythology relating to that landscape. The show is being completely redeveloped in partnership with Somerset Wildlife Trust at Westhay Nature reserve. Look out for shows in June and July!
YMCA 2019
This project is currently being devised with the YMCA in Somerset to raise public awareness and engagement with youth homelessness through a street theatre performance in a town centre.