The Caravan »
The Royal Court, London 10th-28th February 2009
∗∗∗∗∗ Metro ∗∗∗∗ The Scotsman ∗∗∗∗ Time Out
∗∗∗∗ British Theatre Guide Edinburgh Fringe First Winner 2008
Following a Fringe First Award, wide critical acclaim and a sell out run at The Edinburgh Fringe, The Caravan, a documentary theatre performance about the UK floods of summer 2007 - staged in a caravan - will be opening at the Royal Court from February 10th for a 3 week run. The Caravan will be positioned on Sloane Square.
Look Left Look Right have built on the success of their Edinburgh Fringe 2005 production and Battersea Arts Centre 2006 transfer of Yesterday Was a Weird Day: Reflections on July 7th. They "wowed the Fringe in 2005 with their verbatim-theatre account of the London bombings" (Daily Telegraph) and now their vivid style of documentary-theatre tackles the urgent ecological and political issues which were exposed by the 2007 floods, creating a timeless piece of theatre that explores the resilience of human nature.
Summer 2007 was the wettest on record in the UK. Severe flooding across the country brought misery to hundreds of thousands of people, destroying homes, livelihoods, cutting off access to drinking water, and causing major disruption to travel routes. As a result of the ensuing chaos, over 2000 households were still living in caravans a year later. The company's intense and at times humorous half hour piece puts both performers and audience in a 20-foot caravan and gives an insight into how people cope in a crisis.
Directors Mimi Poskitt and Ben Freedman:
With The Caravan the venue is integral to the piece, a normal theatre just wouldn't work. The audience are sitting with the performers, maybe only a foot apart, having tea with them, being asked to make space, or budge up. It's a very real experience, and as we're using interviews from actual people still living in caravans it makes sense to set it in a caravan.
Central to our story telling and productions are people, their experiences and their feelings. We feel that what people experienced in 2007's floods should be reflected upon and remembered, with accuracy.