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in
the egg, Oxford Playhouse, Theatr Iolo and Conde Duque present
muckers
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by
Created by Caroline Horton with an international ensemble
The me
Muckers: Plural noun 1. persons who deal with (and/or delight in) dirt 2. old friends or soulmates 3. rough or coarse persons (dated use)
The abo girl
Paloma has always mucked about with Pichón. They love it. They run wild. They dress up. Like tigers, flamenco dancers, queens, kings, rabbits and Lady Gaga. Everything. Life is fun and funny and a little bit loopy. Until all of a sudden, Paloma comes face to face with a blinding light named Big Luz. Paloma doesn’t understand what she’s done wrong but Big Luz just won’t leave her be. Paloma and Pijon are catapulted into a strange new world where they begin their surreal adventure, determined to find out what Big Luz is all about. Created by award-winning theatre maker Caroline Horton and an international ensemble, Muckers is a funny, magical, physical production. With original songs and quite a lot of Spanish, this mischievous show asks what it takes to stand proud and be true to ourselves, and how we empower the next generation to do the same. Writer: Director: Designer: Actors: Maternity Cover Pichón: Composer and Sound Designer: Songs: Lighting Design: Production Manager: Deputy Stage Manager: Assistant Stage Manager: Language Consultant: Artist Wellbeing Practitioner: Set build: Costume Supervisor: Cloud fabrication: Backcloth: Lighting hires supplier: Audio Description Training: Young Audio Describers Support: Producer: Co-producers:
Caroline Horton José Troncoso Verity Quinn Caroline Horton and Patricia Rodriguez Elena Olivieri John Biddle Caroline Horton and John Biddle Ali Hunter Gemma Brooks Jules Riley James Lisk Jot Davies Lou Platt Chris Samuels Cristiano Casimiro Rob Gibson at Ventura Foreman Supplied by Promptside SLX Willie Elliot for Graeae Theatre Company Tiffany Rhodes Tim Bell for the egg, Theatre Royal Bath Laura Elliot, Oxford Playhouse; Kate Perridge, Theatr Iolo; Miguel Oyarzun, Conde Duque
With thanks to: Ruth Garreta (and family), Elisa Muñoz Sánchez, Katherine Williams, Aimar Perez Gali, Rocio Bello, Ana Sala, Cris Blanco, Ignacio Mateos, Javier Ariza, Edward Jaspers, Natalie Branagan, Alejandro Merino Martinez and Peter Brooke-Tyrrell.
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interview with Caroline Horton by Melissa Blease
The Muckers journey started in 2017, when the egg invited me to be a part of their Incubator development programme. The idea for the story began with me doing lots of thinking about dirt, and our relationship with dirt, and the rules young girls in particular are taught as we’re growing up. The two main characters in Muckers are called Paloma and Pichón, meaning dove and pigeon in Spanish. Maybe they are friends, or maybe they are two sides of the same person – you can decide that for yourself. I have a little bit of both Paloma and Pichón in me. I’ve partly drawn on my own experiences to create the show, but it’s partly a big fantasy/adventure story. But when I was little I sometimes found the world around me quite scary, especially when a new rule was announced. When that happened, I would tend to try to conform and fit in, and I would get very worried if I felt like I’d stepped out of line.
“we live in a world where there is less and less collaboration, when there should be more and more - can we make connections instead of building walls?”
I wanted to make a piece between Spain and the UK because I’ve spent a lot of time in Madrid, and the idea of setting up some sort of exchange between two European countries was very exciting – challenging, but exciting! One performer in Muckers is Spanish and so is the director. One performer is English. There’s a mixture of both languages used in the show and it’s been great fun experimenting to see if something can work in two languages at the same time! But the text was very much led by me so there’s more English spoken in it. Also, because the show is quite physical and visual, my hope is that anybody will be able to follow the story and understand everything, regardless of which language you speak. It feels really important for different cultures and languages to collaborate with each other. At the moment, we live in a world where there is less and less collaboration, when there should be more and more - can we make connections instead of building walls? I hope that whoever comes to see Muckers, whatever age they are, finds something in it for them. Catch up with Caroline on Twitter @carolineplays and/or visit her website www.carolinehorton.net
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bin lid with green light inside
orange bobbed wig cut into and slightly backcombed
the
birds
the
birds
high waisted shorts length just about knee chino material
m u c k e r s
retro pe tshirts with their handdrawn logos
Au
At s des by
Aud wh Aud and the the ope me mo
yellow socks with smiley faces can be pulled up to knee white plimsols with velcro fastenings
costumes are identical
balloon on stick with mini LED fairylights
silver wig gaffa tape moustache frame with lightbulbs
brightly coloured bra
green tutu skirt
briefcase with green light inside
m u c k e r s
green bow tie with green lights
Gra and Aes acc ent
Wh Ma the ab
m u c k e r s
Ho Ma the bet littl
m u c k e r s
fluffy deeleyboppers
netting wings
rose tinted aviators
communion dress broken down with rips & mud
silver motorcycle helmet
picture frame (to fit around face) with kitch decor -LED tape on reverse
green flashing light
m u c k e r s ETB_Muckers_Programme_A4_12pp.indd 4
A
The aud alw oversized showercap
toilet seat with green fairy lights around rims
e m u Cost s n g i des
green kimono
green fairylights adorn black flowers along crown
mourner’s mantilla and black lace veil
blue stilletos
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Ho Car did and A-L pick dra Dra doi doi ma wa Pat 5, b
bin lid with green light inside
Audio Description At selected tour venues we are offering audience members audio description with a difference – audio description for young people, by young people. Audio description is the additional commentary that explains what’s happening on stage to audiences with visual impairments. Audio describers verbally describe the body language, expressions and movements to participants through headphones, enabling them to enjoy the show fully and independently. Lead by Graeae, the innovative company that helped create the 2012 Paralympic opening ceremony, we have trained a group of our Theatre School members to deliver audio description to children, by children. For more information contact Tim Bell – tim.bell@theatreroyal.org.uk.
Our partners Graeae Graeae is a force for change in world-class theatre - breaking down barriers, challenging preconceptions and boldly placing Deaf and disabled artists centre stage. Graeae’s signature characteristic is the Aesthetics of Access – the embedding of sign language, captioning and audio description. Championing accessibility and providing a platform for new generations of artists, Graeae believes in a universal entitlement to the arts and leads the way in pioneering, trail-blazing theatre. green fairylights adorn black flowers along crown
A Q&A with the cast
These questions are based on questions that the cast and creative team have been asked by test audiences during the making of the play. Of course, in the wacky world of the show, things aren’t always clear – they are ambiguous and open to interpretation. oversized showercap fluffy deeleyboppers
How did the bird names get in the story? Maybe it’s to do with the flying! Maybe it’s because they are nice names. Caroline likes the contrast between a beautiful, graceful white dove and a dirty little pigeon - she liked that they can be friends.
in Drama School in Spain when I was 18. At the age of 28 I went to Paris to study with Philippe Gaulier and that changed my way of experiencing this acting thing... That means I have been doing this for 24 years?!? Seems like a long time but it has gone quickly! I haven’t stopped working since 1994, which means that when nobody hired me I invented ways of making projects for myself. Now I co-run a theatre company as well as working for other people.
How long have you been actors? Caroline: I wanted to be a vet until I was 17, then did a u-turn because I was always doing theatre and writing in my spare time. I did some extra A-Levels so I could study English at University, and picked a uni where I could do loads of student drama. I did loads of theatre there, then I went to Drama School in Paris for two years and started doing badly paid acting jobs! But I’ve stopped doing so much acting and now do more writing/ making. In 2010 I did an Edinburgh show which was my first piece of solo work. Patricia: I took part in school shows from the age of 5, but I wanted to be many things until I enrolled
What’s the best thing about acting? Caroline: There are loads of brilliant things, like living in a not-very-real world a lot of the time, which is fun! Collaborating with different people on different projects; getting to explore the human condition; things that I get fascinated by, then become my work; connecting in a really profound way with audiences if the show works - regardless of the emotion (laughing, crying etc). Patricia: The laughter and beautiful moments in the rehearsal room and in the theatre with the audience, and also the social times with the team you work with.
Who are Paloma and Pichón? Maybe they’re friends, maybe they are two sides of the same person. Caroline (the writer) says she has a bit of Pichón and a bit of Paloma in her.
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How long did it take to make this play? How long did you rehearse this play for? It was a long process. Caroline has written many drafts of the play and there have been different rehearsal periods, spread over two years. The idea was picked up, worked on, then put down for a while, then picked up again etc. But if you counted all the time up and put it together, it would probably amount to about five months - all day, every day - so a long time! What’s your favourite part in the play? Caroline: Hmmm, not sure, it changes every day. The punk song is fun! Patricia: When Paloma helps a toilet to fly... Where did you buy all the stuff (clothes etc.)? In all sorts of places! Verity (the set and costume designer) looked for things in charity shops, on eBay, at flea markets and recycling centres. Since she had to buy a lot of stuff, she went to a place where you pay by weight instead of per item. That meant we could get a massive pile of clothes for dressing up. Why is there so much about poo and toilets in the play? The play explores things we find embarrassing and encourages us to ask why we find them embarrassing, awkward and weird. Paloma doesn’t like talking about poo and toilets because she thinks it is impolite. Pichón says pooing is natural and everyone does it - it’s nothing to be ashamed of. What do you think?
What inspired you to make this show? Why did you choose this storyline? Caroline was interested in making a play that explored rules and doing the right thing, but included a big adventure. Why did you decide to make a show in Spanish and English? There are several reasons: Caroline was spending a lot of time in Madrid when the egg theatre (in England) asked her if she wanted to make a play for children. Exploring two cultures and languages meant more silliness - we could contrast very Spanish things, like passionate flamenco dancing, with very English things...like marmite sandwiches. More and more, we think it’s important that different cultures and languages collaborate with each other. We can learn so much from each other. It’s a fun experiment to see if something can work in different languages. We live in a world at the moment where there is less and less of that, and it’s important that we make those connections instead of building walls. What was the hardest part about making this show? There are practical things that are hard, like learning lines and remembering everything that has to be done on stage, and hard emotional things, like spending a lot of time thinking about what makes us feel small, stupid and ashamed. It can be hard and upsetting to think about these things. When making the play, we were looking for a balance between these tricky moments of darkness and moments of lightness - that is why we wanted to include lots of playing and silliness too.
How many times have you done this show? Caroline (Paloma) wrote the show and also plays Paloma, so she has been involved from the start. She has done the show a lot, in different places ranging from Madrid, Spain to Bath, UK. The role of Pichón has been played by different actors. They have done the play fewer times than Caroline, but still a lot! Muckers is performed several times in a single venue, often more than once a day.
Why does Paloma stop playing with Pichón? When Paloma and Pichón are playing, Big Luz suddenly appears and Paloma feels pinned by the light. She feels like Big Luz is watching her shining a spotlight on her that she can’t escape. She doesn’t feel good but she thinks if she makes Pichón leave, she can control everything and make things feel better.
How long does it take for an actor to remember a script? A long time! Patricia and Caroline (the actors) have to work really hard to remember everything. Caroline says it’s the worst part of the job, but luckily the other bits are really good, so it makes up for it.
What is Big Luz? What is Big Luz’s goal? A boy who watched the show when we were rehearsing it said that he thought it was good that Big Luz was a bit of a mystery. Different people have different thoughts about who or what Big Luz is. One girl suggested that Big Luz highlights the people who don’t behave or follow the rules.
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Wh In a wh Luz diff thin (Pic are
Wh Car adv a jo in h ent way
Wh Palo wo cha sho wh her all t The flyi ma
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Someone else thought that Big Luz’s goal was to make the world even and make sure that everyone ‘fits in’. Others say that Big Luz is like a big boss and a bully. Caroline says that the spotlight makes her feel like you’ve done something wrong, even if you’re not really sure what you’ve done. In the play, Paloma learns how to stand up to Big Luz. Why was Paloma sent to another world? In a way, Paloma sends herself to the other world when she makes Pichón leave her alone. When Big Luz appears, Paloma feels like she has to behave differently. She thinks if she gets rid of Pichón things will get better because the naughty one (Pichón) won’t be around anymore. But things aren’t that easy… What was the purpose of the world? Caroline wanted the play to include a sense of adventure, and it was important for Paloma to go on a journey. When Big Luz appears, there’s a change in how Paloma feels, which is shown partly by her entering another world. She has to try to find her way out of this world to finally stand up to Big Luz.
“The play explores things we find embarrassing and encourages us to ask why we find them embarrassing, awkward and weird.”
“When making the play, we were looking for a balance between these tricky moments of darkness and moments of lightness - that is why we wanted to include lots of playing and silliness too.”
Who were the people she met? Paloma meets a whole range of weird and wonderful characters on her journey. A lot of the characters she meets continue to tell her what she should or shouldn’t do, how she should be, and what rules she should follow. Other characters help her understand that she doesn’t have to be good all the time, and that she is good enough as she is. They are a bit surprising (like the talking bin and flying toilet!) but, in the end, they help Paloma make sense of some things. Why does Paloma have secrets? At the start of the play, Paloma thinks she has to be perfect and hide the worst parts of herself - the things she is ashamed of. These are her secrets. She only tells us her secrets in the dark (Pichón says nighttime is the best time for secrets). She goes through a lot (meeting Big Luz etc.) before she feels ready to tell us these secrets.
at
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IS FEMINISM
E
A DIRTY WORD?
fr
By Kate Cross, Director of the egg Theatre for Children and Young People
In 2015, I met with theatre maker Caroline Horton, in a corner of Birmingham’s brand new library, to talk to her about the possibility of creating a new show for young children.
forth into a world of feminism for children – female and male. Caroline was spending a lot of time in Madrid and underwent the opening stages of creation - gathering together an ensemble of theatre creatives, Spanish and English – with whom she has been developing this production ever since. The egg garnered interested co-producers, namely Oxford Playhouse, Theatr Iolo and Conde Duque.
Caroline is an award-winning theatre maker. She writes, creates, produces and performs in her own work. She trained at the renowned French clown school, Ecole Philippe Gaulier where it was suggested that one’s own stories are worth telling. This advice runs deep in all of Caroline’s theatre making practice. A previous piece, Mess, has Muckers comes from toured internationally a place of feminism, since 2012. Mess is ‘a from Caroline’s earliest play about anorexia, childhood memories “We want to reclaim the that confronts this of growing up female, word feminism and make uncomfortable illness to not so much in a male it something that everyone breathtaking effect…it’s world but in a world an exuberant, engaging whose rules are set by an can aspire to” and above all, honest invisible machine: The portrayal of anorexia Patriarchy. Both boys’ and recovery.’ The and girls’ empowerment Times. Yet, whilst being about anorexia, it has and freedom of expression is impacted by silliness at its heart and is mainly a comedy. ‘the patriarchy’ and yet the word feminism The same is true of this new piece, Muckers. or feminist has an uncanny habit of conjuring up images that parents, teachers and Recognising a need in the English children’s grandparents may not wish to share with their theatre world for Caroline’s deep thinking, I children. As we tour Muckers to school and had invited her to submit ideas a few times family audiences around England and Spain over the years. Until that day in Birmingham, over the coming months, we want to reclaim she had been reticent about making work for the word feminism and make it something the very young (perhaps she still is). So, when that everyone can aspire to, for a more equal, she then opened her notebook and issued a healthy and productive future. It is not a dirty flurry of profound ideas around shame, dirt, word – not for any gender. This is what we are mud, cleanliness and Greek goddesses, I was hoping Muckers will enable us to achieve with chomping at the bit to get going and venturing its audiences.
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Litt tho spe tha pol Gen and Cal the tho kno des em
Wh wel ma Her she
‘Co Cor it o fath to t fort hai styl stre the in a are all d cur from isn’
Cor goo
‘Ta mu
‘I’m ‘Yo You
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an
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, y e h
EXTRACT
from ‘Too Good Girls’ by Philippe Gaulier
Little Corinne’s parents, sometimes in unison, though not always, because her mother often speaks first (out of enthusiasm perhaps), say that their daughter is well-behaved, level-headed, polite, thoughtful, and reasonable. She lives in Geneva, Switzerland. On Sundays, in the mornings and evenings, she and her parents practise the Calvanist faith while, on Wednesdays, she sings in the choir. She is well turned-out and quite pretty, though, according to neighbours and others who know her, in danger of never being desired or desiring anyone else, for she never lets a flicker of emotion cross her face. When asked whether her school work is going well, she says it is, apart from one thing. In her last maths test, she only got seventeen out of twenty. Her friend who sings in the choir got eighteen. And she bursts into tears. ‘Corinne’s finest quality is her love of tradition’ said Corinne’s mother, the other day. ‘Whether you like it or not, Corinne is just the same as her mother and father: a traditionalist, from the very tips of her hair to the soles of her feet. What extraordinarily good fortune it is. For example, when Corinne goes to the hairdresser’s, she always opts for a straightforward style with never a thought of a blue or orange streak, especially not orange; quite the opposite, the thought makes her sick, so sick she responds in a most unpleasant fashion. Specialist doctors are perplexed to note how her body twitches in all directions, like a jelly plugged into high-voltage current, and how strange, hoarse sounds emerge from her throat.’ Doctors have confirmed that it isn’t epilepsy, just disgust. Corinne has a boyfriend. He is Calvinist but not a good Protestant. He wants to play doctors and nurse. ‘Take your clothes off, Corinne,’ he begs her, ‘I must diagnose your illness.’
Her boyfriend begs her not to believe it. He’s a qualified doctor and has saved many lives. If she refuses his care, she’s in grave danger of death. Corinne sends him away. He mustn’t come back. She’s going to tell Mummy and Daddy about it. Corinne is thirty-five now and married to a dentist from the same parish, with the same make-up, and the same opinions. She’s a psychologist who looks after maladjusted pre-adolescents. She has two children. How they were conceived she can’t remember. Their birth is all she recalls. How delightful that was. Both of them born in a swimming pool (Corinne is a devoted swimmer). Corinne is happy, except when her husband wants to make love. She understands, of course, but it doesn’t mean she likes it. Though she doesn’t refuse, soon afterwards she runs to the bathroom to scrub herself down, all over. No, it’s not exactly dirty, but it’s not exactly clean either. On Sundays, around Carouge, Corinne and her family hug the walls, imitate the walls, mimic the walls. They go to church so discreetly that no one can see them. Life goes on. The more it goes on, the more Corinne and her family contrive not to be conspicuous, thereby achieving the objective of all religions: turning man into a shadow of God. Printed with permission from Michiko Gaulier
“Whether you like it or not, Corinne is just the same as her mother and father: a traditionalist, from the very tips of her hair to the soles of her feet.”
‘I’m not ill,’ Corinne replies, cool as a cucumber. ‘You just want to look at my genitals, you fat pig. You’re immoral, disgusting and a pervert.’
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the incubator Muckers is a product of The Incubator, the egg theatre Bath’s idea development programme. The Incubator’s aim is to deepen the quality of art that is available for young audiences, and to inspire our theatre makers to think about children and their place in our society differently. We hope we do this by giving artists space, time and support to think and conceive. How does it work? The egg offers three selected artists the support to develop a piece of theatre for a young audience over the course of a year. There is no set format to the Incubator, as the programme is tailored to meet the requirements of the small cohort of scholars it facilitates each year. However, there are some things which often reoccur. An artist’s year starts with the establishing of their lines of enquiry – their ideas, their big ambitions, the nagging questions or pieces of research that they’ve wanted to explore in order to realise their ideas. They receive a bursary, and a budget. And an egg journal with which to begin their doodling. Artists are then often paired with a mentor to help untangle any knots. Sometimes this takes place on a residential retreat. We put them in rooms with other artists, who, based on their own lines of enquiry, are exploring their own, similar fascinations. Sometimes these artists work in theatre. Sometimes they don’t. They could be someone extraordinary in their own particular field. But they are united by integrity of practice, depth of thought and the willingness to do things differently. Together we form a merry band of
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Muc ©C
accredited anarchists. Previous Incubator artists have received mentoring and masterclasses from a range of cross-artform industry leaders, including mentoring from Tony Reekie, Jo Belloli, Jamie Luck and Lee Lyford, masterclasses from Tim Crouch, Kate Cross, Penny Hay and 5x5x5=creativity, Jenny Sealey and Emma Finch, and the chance to take part in conversations with practitioners such as Complicite and Purni Morell. Artists are exposed to high quality work, often in festival settings, and expert-led critical analysis. What follows next is weeks, months of supported exploration and research. We provide artists with test audiences, match them with partners , read scripts, give them space, the staff, and as many resources as we can to support the development, deepening and realisation of their ideas. Scholars can disappear down rabbit holes, make mistakes, make glorious discoveries. Try and work in a new language. Listen to unheard voices. Engage those who might not be reached. We try to alleviate the pressure of target driven activity. Artists are encouraged to take a step back and view the world (and their own practice) differently. Experience the unexpected. And at the end of their year, the scholars bring the fruits of their labour to the Incubator showcase, to share their work with an invited audience who might have a hand in whatever happens next. We don’t ask that this work is finished, complete, or perfect. We do ask that this work celebrates artists’ big ideas. It may be a scratch. It may be a presentation. It may be something entirely different that we haven’t thought of yet.
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Muckers photos Š Camilla Adams
Let us know what you think by using the #Muckersis theeggtheatre theeggbath
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Muckers wouldn’t be possible without the very generous support of our funders…. “We are really pleased to be able to support Muckers through our National Lottery funded Project Grants programme. It is exciting to see artists working with international organisations like Conde Duque to create work that is unique and pushes the boundaries of what we can expect from children’s theatre. These collaborations forge a playful approach to creating, and in turn create playful work.” Phil Gibby Area Director, South West, Arts Council England
Supported by The Medlock Charitable Trust
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