tidy  UP

Created and devised by Peut-Être Theatre.

1. Director: Daphna Attias
2. Movement Director: Ayse Tashkiran
3. Designer: Cecilia Carey
4. Composer & Sound Designer: Yaniv Fridel
5. Lighting Designer: Dan Saggars
6. Cast: Charlie Hendren, Maya Politak & Anna Richmond
7. Understudies: Robert Keates, Bridget Lappin
8. Production Manager: Faith Rowley
9. Original Stage Manager: Anastasia Booth
10. Costume Assistant: Rosie Holditch (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama)
11. Administrative Assistant: Valia Huang (Goldsmith University)
12. Assistant Composer & Programmer: Oscar Moos (Soho Sonic Studios)
13. Movement Placement: Julie Shaw (Royal Central School of Speech and Drama)
14. Assistant Stage Manager: Megan Taylor (Roehampton Univeristy)

We had the privilege to collaborate with GOSH Arts on our research, development and production of Tidy Up. We have created the show entirely at the hospital which was the most inspiring and uplifting creation process. In Autumn 2017 we moved in to the hospital. We had a dedicated space in the hospital cafeteria as our rehearsal space for three weeks and used this as a base to work across the hospital. We facilitated workshops, performances and discussions in spaces ranging from waiting rooms to the bedside, the play centre and the café. This collaboration challenged us as artists as well as the entire hospital staff and families and inspired many of the children who took part. It also inspired our programme to bring our work to further children’s hospitals across the UK. 

Our creation process was informed by scientific input from The Paediatric Psychology Department at GOSH who helped us analyse the importance of order and mess in early years development and their impact on children’s learning.

 

“The idea originated firstly through conversations with my children; there is not a day in which I don’t ask them to tidy up their room and it’s a constant source of tension in most families I know. So I wanted to find a way to question whether tidying up could be fun for children and if chaos could be fun for parents.

When GOSH Arts invited us to undertake a residency at Great Ormond Street Hospital we sat down together to think how we could make our presence there meaningful for the patients and their families. We made the decision to use this time to create this show in close collaboration with the children, families and staff at the hospital.

By definition chaos is 'a greatly complex system whose behaviour is so unpredictable as to appear random'. So we explored if it could be that what ‘appears’ random to an adult is actually organised in a child’s perception. We asked If a parent’s orderly world be equally incomprehensible to a child and could a system or a routine, destined to effectuate order, uncoil into pandemonium simply by over functioning.  We hoped to knock down preconceptions of right and wrong we will investigate what is it that actually dictates our sense of order”.

Daphna Attias, Director

 

“GOSH Arts commission site specific artwork for Great Ormond Street Hospital and run a cross art participatory programme which brings culture into the hospital every day for families to engage with and enjoy. The holistic environment we create though art interventions can alleviate boredom, distract from challenging situations and have a positive impact on both the physical and mental health of our families and staff.

Hosting Theatre Peut-Être at Great Ormond Street Hospital was an incredible experience for both families and staff alike.  Alongside meetings with clinicians, each day of their residency the Theatre Peut-Être creative team ran a workshop with children and the movements, conversations and experiences that came out of these sessions directly fed into the choreography of Tidy Up. At the end of each week’s rehearsal families were invited to review the material developed in a family led critique allowing them to directly shape a professional piece of performance that other families can now enjoy.

The development of Tidy Up has been an amazing collaborative process and the integrity and joy in its development shines throughout the show.”

Caroline Moore, & Susie Hall, Gosh Arts

The production was developed in partnership with GOSH Arts, patients and families and the Psychological Services Department at Great Ormond Street Hospital.

Read what others have to say about Tidy Up

Tidy Up has “charm and innovation”- The Stage

“A gloriously messy afternoon” at Tidy Up – The Upcoming

“Tidy Up is a witty and uplifting journey” – What’s on Stage