Reckless Sleepers was formed in 1988, taking its name from a painting by the Belgian surrealist Rene Magritte. We invite you into their world and how Mole first came to create the fabulous family show It's Hot, It Not, here during the February half term.
Mole: "When we were commissioned to make this new show, the director of the Unicorn (Theatre for Children) asked me what was I interested in, and then more precisely what was I worried about.
I replied that I was a little concerned and confused about the weather, that seasons weren’t behaving like they normally would do. So she said OK that’s a good place to start and we started to think about making something that was seasonal.
But we wanted to create something that reflected the way we do things. In the world of Reckless Sleepers we generally use objects, in some shows its hammers and plasterboard, in others its saws and chairs. In the first ever Reckless Sleepers performance it was gardening tools. Even a lawn roller made an appearance!
We use objects that are classic shapes like a lightbulb, iconic objects like a traditional galvanised watering can, or a bucket, wellington boots, umbrellas, raincoats, apples… We use these objects repeatedly in shows. Therefore, we wanted to use these objects like they do in children’s books to illustrate the weather.
An umbrella means it’s raining, for example…
We raided the props room basement of the Unicorn Theatre, taking all of the above objects, a big fan (because it might need to get windy) a sack of ping pong balls (because it would definitely be snowing) and a big old fashioned watering can. We used these objects in the making of the show, we asked for a beach ball, and the next day a brown cardboard box would arrive.
Yes, we do have this big beach ball in the show and when I go and get it, Club Tropicana starts playing. A friend of mine is in the music video for that. She was on holiday at the time, just happened to be there. We put Club Tropicana in the show because it's the Summer for me.
When you open a hatch door you hear a sound, my favourite is when Michael Fish tells us not to worry that a hurricane is coming our way, or the sound of crickets at the beginning of Club Tropicana. If your eagle eyed, you might catch me off stage drinking from a cocktail glass.
That'll make sense when you come and you see the show."
It's Hot It's Not is a celebration, for all ages, of climatic elements by the major international performance company Reckless Sleepers. Renowned for creating bold, innovative and, above all, original work, come and see this surreal, funny and carefully crafted physical performance. Explore the weather in all its forms from summer to autumn, winter to spring and takes delight in discovering the world anew and how we experience it differently, wherever we are.
Tickets are £10 (£8 under 16s), with a special book four tickets for £30 offer also available. Get your tickets for this fantastic family February half term show now!
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