Stomping Ground Theatre Show

Part of the Our Stomping Grounds Festival

Stomping Ground

^ actors from Full Circle - four are in black and white stripey tops and two are in black tops. Five are in red berets and one is in a red bowler hat. They are lit with stage lighting, standing in a group shot all looking up and off to the right. A white hat stand is in amongst them.

Originally commissioned for SIRF 2022 and re-staged indoors for the Our Stomping Grounds Festival
A Full Circle Production in association with Little Cog and ARC Stockton

Stomping Ground

Background
Stomping Ground is about where we belong. It’s about where we are welcome, where we fit in and where we can thrive.

Having a Stomping Ground has never felt so important over this past two and a half years and Full Circle Theatre Company, an exceptional award-winning ensemble of learning disabled theatre makers, has created a stunning full scale outdoor show. They were determined to continue being creative and, ever resourceful, found ways to be so, affirming their commitment to each other and their audiences during the most challenging circumstances. SIRF 2022 became a new Stomping Ground where the voices of learning disabled people were platformed and celebrated. We had a purpose built accessible stage with impeccable lighting. The whole festival experience was incredible for our cast, with audiences who were appreciative, supportive and encouraging, right through to an ovation at the end of each show.

Information about the show and its content:
It feels like you’ve finally forged your own Stomping Ground, and the wider world is beginning to accept you, so a sense of belonging begins to grow. But then the world is turned upside down in every way imaginable and no one can fix it. Full Circle invites you into a lesser-seen world of lesser-told stories, revealing that the communities we create can be magical. Theirs is a story about the fight for a rightful place for learning disabled people told with wit, pathos, and celebration, using their signature visual style, triumphantly translating to outdoor work for the first time in this world premiere.

Access information:
This show is BSL interpreted and captioned.

Sensory Content Awareness: This is a very visual show with a musical soundtrack throughout. In one section there is multiple sirens (19 minutes & 30 seconds in for 1 min), plus 2 loud bangs in the last track (approx 37 minutes in). There are also moving lights but no flashing lights. There is also a short mimed CPR section.

Themes: Pandemic, Isolation, Staying Connected, Triumph

Cast
Lesleyanne Carling
Michelle Dick
Peter Gibson
Patrick Gill
Alyson Groat
Adele Hudson
Candice Keenan
Megan Rees
Film Narrator
Max Wreford-Sinnott

Creative Support/Cast
Alex Dechbamrung
Ruth Laidler

Production and Creative Team
Kim McDermottroe - Production Design
Tina Frank - Assistant Production Design
Nick Hare - Production Manager (at SIRF) and Lighting Design
Callum Rattray - Sound Track Creation
Max Wreford-Sinnott - Deputy Stage Manager
Vici Wreford-Sinnott - Director
Chloe Lawrence - Producer for ARC Stockton

A Couple of Blogs

Full Circle Ready themselves for World Premiere of Stomping Ground

Significant Artistic Dreams Coming True as the Company Prepares for SIRF 22

A sell out success! What people said about the show at SIRF

***** "Out of this world" *****

***** "a fantastic show, emotional & uplifting - one of the highlights of the festival for me" *****

***** "you've got to see this show - it's the best show ever" *****

***** "Loved Full Circle’s show at #SIRF22 tonight
funny and moving reminder of the last few years, bit of satire in there too" *****

***** "this needs national exposure - it's amazing" *****

*****"so powerful and moving"*****

*****wow what a show. Very moving. Told exceptionally well by the performers who were superb. We loved it *****

Photo Gallery - The Story So Far
All images have AltText

Rehearsals
After two years devising on zoom, earlier this year we prepared for the safest possible in person rehearsals at ARC Stockton. We created a little kind of bubble in which we wore masks when not rehearsing, used hand sanitiser, stayed socially distanced, and all had our own table areas. We then had the grand job of translating what we had devised on zoom, into a physical space with a group rather than the individual spaces we'd worked in at home. The group were just brilliant about it all and worked so hard to make it the best it could be. Never have I seen so much determination and commitment to making something work.
Each week in our most recent rehearsals Kim McDermottroe and her assistant Tina, would bring us a new batch of props, or set items, or costumes - it felt like Christmas as everyone was handed something new.
As this was our first outdoor show, we had a couple of site visits, and we also planned in a full tech week in ARC's large theatre space to do a 'mock' version of what our production week would be like out on site.

a group of six actors in a dance studio experimenting with colourful gym ribbons - all looking very happy

a young female actor wearing plaits looking at a pink sequinned hat smiling.

An older female actor wearing a stripey top and a silver sequinned cap. Smiling at camera.

an older female actor wearing a red apron and using a red mixing bowl and whisk in a rehearsal in a dance studio. People in the background.

A young male actor in a Boris Johnson blonde wig, suit jacket, short and tie

A young female actor dancing with large green and pinnk silk material

On stage oin atmospheric lighting actors in stylised black and white stripey costumes. One older female actor holding a huge clock and another younger female actor carrying a black and white umbrella

A company posed portrait - ten people wearing variations of black and white stripy tops, and a range of ages, all smiling together to the camera.

Dress rehearsal at ARC indoors - atmospheric lighting. A group of none actors standing with white hat stands, on person heading into the centre of the horseshoe of people.

A young female actor in the foreground wearing a whiote bakers hat and yellow apron, holding a two dimensional wooden bowl and wooden spoon props. Other actors in the background in either similar costume of gold sequinned bomber jackets and gold baseball caps.

A young female actor in the foreground wearing a gold sequinned bomber jackets and gold baseball cap - others in the background in similar costumes.

Festival Life - Behind the Scenes
Festival life suited us very well - nice food and social area, our own dressing room and green room for downtime. Not even a rain shower could put us off. Warm ups on the stage. Shout out here to the amazing Gig-a-bite team who fed us delicious food throughout the festival, and made us so welcome. It was great to see ARC's theatre transformed into a wonderful buzzing social area.

Four women looking very happy, raising glasses, seated at a dinner table with colourful table cloth

3 company members seated at a dining table in ARC Stockton's social eating area with lots of other creatives on tables behind and a hot buffet area at the back of the room.

3 more company members seated at a dining table in ARC Stockton's social eating area with lots of other creatives on tables behind and a hot buffet area at the back of the room.

Fresh flowers and fresh fruit on a nicely presented buffet area.

A smiling older man serving at the dessert section of the buffet. Bunting in the background.

A shot of a very full dining area - fresh flowers on all the tables. Lots of smiling faces.

2 Gig-a-bite staff behind a long hot buffet, lovely food, large soup turine and homemade breads

All company members in black and white stripy outfits posing in front of a large projection promoting their show

Fair haired woman mopping the stage after a rain shower

All company members on stage for the first time in their costumes - looking confident and happy - smiles and outstretched arms.

4 cast members in costumes doing a warm up on stage - various physical poses

The Show
The cast really did themselves proud and told a much needed story. Learning disabled peoples' experiences of the pandemic from their perspective. But it was also about friendship, belonging and having a voice. This group showed such determination to make this show happen and to ensure their voices continued to be heard. 'We are Full Circle theatre company, we didn't want to disappear and be forgotten about'. And they have such an inventive way of telling their stories. Audiences gave them rousing cheers throughout the piece and standing ovations at the end. More words will come but for now pictures...

All actors on stage in a scene about individual hobbies - reading, xbox, weight training, puzzles, playing cards and all have larger thhan life props for each.

An older white woman with plaits in her brown hair, standing with arms outstretched looking happy and confident. A black and white stripy top and black trousers.

An older white woman with short fair hair, stripy top and balck trousers is centre stage miming using a hula hoop.

The cast are on stage, spaced out and standing. Each has a mix of black, white and grey gym ribbons and are using them to music.

Our BSL interpreter Sue Lee is a tall thin white woman with short white hair. She is wearing a black leather jacket and white jeans and is signing.

3 actors in a blue stage light, all wearing NHS scrubs gowns, blue hair nets, visors and masks, each has a stethoscope and a clip board.

3 actors on stage wearing yello aprons, white bakers hats and red noses. They are holding 2D bowls and wooden spoons.

In the foreground a young female actor is standing under a black and whote umbrella, in the background an older female actor with a huge clock. Other actors seated. Dramatic lighting rays hitting the actors and stage.

An older white woman with short dark hair, seated wearing a white top with thin black stripes and black trousers. She is also wearing a short black neckscarf and a large silk black flower. She has one finger raised as if tracing a memory.

A young female actor wearing a black top with with white stripes. She is tracing a finger in the air as if to catch a fading memory. Two actors in the background doing the same.

Dramatic shafts of light on an older actress with a huge clock, an actress with a black and white umbrella and another actress holding her memories close to her heart.

Cast of actors on stage, all in variations of black and white striped clothing. They are standing in front of their chairs with arms aloft in triumph.

Actors in silver bucket hats, celebrating - colourful ribbons, colourful lights, a triumphant sharing of their show.

Actors in silver bucket hats, celebrating - colourful silks fill the stage as they are flown, colourful lights, a triumphant sharing of their show.

The Workshop
We had a houseful - and it was truly wonderful. We shared some moves and mimes from the show, and then filled our showground with a procession of colourful flying silks. Thank you to everyone who came.

Four group members seated on stage at SIRF, chatting. Three brown haired white women and one woman of dual Caribbean and British heritage with blue hair. All wearing tee shirts.

Three white women on stage all leaning forward slightly and looking off to their left.

A group of people on stage. Focus on a young white man passing a greeting on to a young white woman. Everyone else looking at them.

Two older white women, one in deep explanation of something - the other smiling.

A group of people in the workshop seated on the stage. One older white woman actor is holding a large prop white sewing needle and green thread.

A group of people standing on stage in a circle with a young white male actor leading some movements.

One of our guests, a young white man with long hair and a cap. Joining in with different movement exercises.

A young white woman with long red hair doing a high kick centre stage - others looking on and smiling wondering if they can do that.

Half of our large group doing ribbon work in the car park workshop space.

A young woman with long red hair and glasses doing ribbon work in the carpark workshop area, joined by a slightly older white woman. Both smiling. Colourful ribbons being twirled.

A young woman of dual heritage and an older (than the younger woman) white woman giving our colourful silks - green and yellow dominate.

A young whote woman with long red hair is joyously holding her arms wide, cheering and flying a some colourful silk fabric.

This is the short film version from 2021 where our actors came in to film one person at a time due to the covid risks at the time. We hope to share the outdoor production footage which is quite a different piece of work.

You can find out more about Full Circle here.

Supported by Little Cog, ARC Stockton, Stockton International Riverside Festival and funded by Arts Council England.

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