Where Are the Car Keys?
Thinking back over the last 15 years at TramShed it would be easy to talk about some of the wonderful characters that have been created. We have loved playing Ethel, Maggie, Gladys, and re-working sketches from Victoria Wood, Morecambe and Wise and Little Britain. We have loved learning lines to bring to life the scripts that Zac and team have created, making sure that every member has a part that challenges and encourages them.
Karen Allison & Kathleen Paintin
However, it must be more than that. Something that makes us drive for almost 2 hours for a 75-minute workshop or rehearsal, in all weathers, every Tuesday for 15 years!
I think it is the friendship, love, and camaraderie that builds up within the Adult Company that develops week in and week out at TramShed. Watching members develop over time, grow in confidence, and then surprise you by what they understand and can really do.
I think it is those spine-tingling moments when you know the company has created something that is not just physical theatre, but a piece that touches the audience in a way that stays with them for ever and maybe even challenges their perceptions. So many times, pieces like Fix you, What About Us? This is Me, We’ll Meet Again have done that. When it is hard to stay composed on stage you know there will not be a dry eye in the house.
I think it is when the script and characters are funny and make the audience laugh. Building on the natural talent that some members bring and pushing things to the limit of ability always seems to come off.
I think it is watching skilled practitioners and volunteers work with vulnerable and challenging members to give them every opportunity to enjoy and contribute to workshops and productions. Any audience member will tell you of the changes they have watched in members over the years.
I think it is in TramShed creating a safe space where the challenges of mental health and young people’s sexuality can be openly experienced and developed.
Kathleen & Daniel Paintin
I think it is being part of an organisation that is so forward thinking and determined to carry on. Lockdown during the pandemic challenged TramShed to its core, but Zac and team turning the challenge into an opportunity. They gave us three productions produced on Zoom, streamed on Facebook live!!! Who would have thought that?
Now, along with face-to-face sessions, we have virtual meetings, virtual workshops, virtual fundraising and now a digital production!
Fifteen years on, and in a post Covid world the future is very exciting for TramShed. We look forward to future productions and inviting an audience into the theatre again. ‘Is it still raining? WHERE ARE THE CAR KEYS?’
#15yearstogether
Kathleen Paintin
Adult Company & TramShed Voice Member