The Monthly interviews Brona Jackson about Wild Ones – Part 2 – Developing a show for children

Replay has been very important to your own development?

Yes massively. I have been really lucky over the past years to have been a performer in a few Replay productions as part of their UP Programme. That programme specialises in creating accessible theatre for Disabled children, children with Complex Needs and Neurodivergent children. Working with Replay, and with these audiences is such a massive privilege. Some of the proudest moments of my career occurred working for them. It is truly life changing work.

Around 2017 I had started doing R&D on one of their shows and they just happened to be running training in inclusive practise called The Adventure Collective. It was a real watershed moment and after that I was hooked. I just wanted to learn more and more. And with each show I was a part of, I would get to meet the most amazing audiences. Every single child is so unique and their needs so different that no two performances would be the same. It’s really keeps you on your toes. You have to be 100% present and connected to your audience member. I love working one to one with a young person, trying to understand how they want to connect with the show., how they want to communicate and engage. Its actually pretty addictive!

Replay really changed how I thought about my practice. And the team have always been very supportive and encouraged me to create my own work. They supported a SIAP award (Support for Individual Artists Programme) I received from the Arts Council in 2018, and that lead into developing my own practise. I was able to shadow their Artistic Director, Janice Kernoghan-Reid, while they restaged  “Baby Daddy”

And they have always been informally supporting, whether that’s a listening ear on the phone or letter of recommendation or supporting a funding bid. They’re really keen for other artist and companies to create inclusive work and they are always looking for ways to help and support people that are interested.

And the show you were working on, “Wild Ones”, was developed for young children?

Yes. This show is for children aged 6-18 with Profound and Multiple Learning Disabilities, children with Complex Needs and Neurodivergent children. I received brilliant feedback from Ardnashee School and College after the initial sharings and was looking for further funding to develop the work.

It was then Andrew Stanford, Replay Director for Inclusive Theatre, suggested Replay produce the show as their Summer production which would tour Special Education Needs Schools across Northern Ireland during the Summer of 2022.

With Replay taking care of all the production aspects, I was able to concentrate on creatively developing the work. There are not very many opportunities for independent dance artists to have their work produced and toured in the North so I was absolutely delighted! With Replays support I was able to develop set, props and costume. Andrew provided creative mentorship while I redeveloped the show. The biggest change was to create something that was adaptable and flexible enough for a full age range of 6 to 18. And it had to be something that can be set up and taken down in a day, with enough time for 3/4 performances. Practically and creatively, it was a massive learning experience!

And what happens after that?

With Replay’s support we were able to tour “Wild Ones” during the Summer of 2022 and 2023. In the Summer of 2022 the show reached 180 children. Myself and artist Janie Doherty performed 15 days of shows, 4 shows a day with 3 children in the audience per show. This first tour was like one big extended creative consultation, every day was a learning experience, and every interaction with the audience would help clarify my process and vision. As the format was so flexible, we were able to continue to develop the piece.

From the learning in 2022, lots of time to reflect and even more support from Replay we were able to grow and further develop the show for 2023. We added another performer, reduced the number of shows per day because each show has an incredible impact on the performers, but we had 4 children at each show, so we still reached the same number of children, 180 children. We redeveloped the costume and set, worked with two amazing actors Christopher Grant and Tierna McNally for the 2023 show, and that helped me to further develop the characters in the work.

Critically from 2022s experiences I redeveloped the movement experience underpinning the show so that each audience member had their own swing,  so they could have ownership over the movement experience they were having. And of course the whole time I was being supported by the whole Replay team. This process has now been developed into the Replay Fellowship, where they will support an independent artist based in NI to create and tour their own accessible production for two summers. I am delighted for artist, Shannen McNeice, to be taking over as the new Fellow for 2024/2025. It is honestly a once in a life time experience and such a unique opportunity!

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