Dr Adam Ledger, Senior Lecturer in the Department of Drama and Theatre Arts, and his company The Bone Ensemble have been awarded a £45,000 grant from Arts Council England as part of company development and to support a new show that encourages its audience to engage with crucial environmental issues.

Image from Gulp! -	Picture by Graeme Braidwood

The show, Gulp!, will use water on stage to create a sensory experience for the audience, and encourage them to engage with issues of water use and waste. Ledger has also attracted support from other partners and organisations, including the John Feeney Charitable Trust, as well as an industry-first collaboration with Severn Trent Water. 

Based on Ledger’s research, the show will ensure that the urgency of environmental and water issues are reflected in a creative, family-orientated and participatory way.

Image from Gulp! -	Picture by Graeme Braidwood

This follows The Bone Ensemble’s Where’s My Igloo Gone? (2016-18), which personalised the issue of climate change through a central character, Oolik, who overcame problems that were caused by environmental damage.  

Ledger said: “Despite growth of feeling and concern about environmental issues, it is still largely underrepresented in practice research. We are aiming to change this, and the extent of support and collaboration with funding bodies, charities and business shows how widely this urgency is felt. 

“Not a day goes by without a shocking headline or new documentary about damage to our planet. Some experience a feeling of information overload, and in this context we’ve found that it can be emotive, character led and thought provoking messages that can be the catalysts for change.”

Image from Gulp! -	Picture by Graeme Braidwood

Gulp! will be created with the help of scientific advisers Professor David Hannah and Dr Anne van Loon from the School of Geography, Earth and Environmental Sciences

The show opens at MAC Birmingham on 28th September before a national tour. The trailer can now be viewed: https://vimeo.com/294750214/27fc3c944f

ENDS 

-       Pictures – credit Graeme Braidwood.