The Enormous Room, a new touring production from Stopgap Dance Company opens in spring.
2017 at Sadler’s Wells Lilian Baylis Studio on 2 and 3 March 2017. Featuring renowned disabled dancer David Toole in a central role, the work focuses on the complex but poignant relationship between a father and daughter both living through a grieving process.
Dave’s wife Jackie has died, but he still sees her everywhere She is lying in his bed, sitting at the kitchen table and laughing with their daughter Sam. Dave has withdrawn into the living room unable to let his memories go, but going is all that Sam can think about….
David Toole’s extensive body of work includes a prominent solo in the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony and the landmark 2004 film from DV8, The Cost Of Living. Both powerful and influential as performer and dancer, David Toole has worked with Stopgap Dance Company for over ten years and now in The Enormous Room, utilises his acclaimed physical and dramatic skills to bring the character of Dave to life.
Sam is played by Hannah Sampson, a young dancer with Down’s syndrome who has received 10 years of professional training with Stopgap Dance Company. The intricate interactions between the experienced David Toole and talented newcomer Sampson are set to intrigue. They are joined by non-disabled dancers Meritxell Checa, dancer and collaborator with celebrated French choreographer Philippe Decoufle and Amy Butler, the rehearsal director of Chotto Desh by Akram Khan, who take the roles of Jackie as Dave’s wife and Sam’s mother respectively.
Lucy Bennett, Stopgap’s Artistic Director and the choreographer for The Enormous Room chose to have two performers play Jackie to illustrate the subjective nature of memory. The Cambodian wheelchair dancer Nadenh Poan plays Chock, a Puck-like presence, who orchestrates the collision between this world and the next. Christian Brinklow from Great Yarmouth plays the role of Tom, who appears intermittently to offer his friend Sam a chance to escape sadness.
The lighting design by Chahine Yavrovan and the theatre design by Anna Jones of Curious Space, jointly evoke a dream-like atmosphere, portraying the surreal experiences that people go through during bereavement.
Artistic Director Lucy Bennett says:
‘The Enormous Room was devised from scratch with cast and collaborators such as Lou Cope the dramaturge, who has worked with artists like Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and more recently on Garry
Clarke’s Coal, which just won the UK Theatre Award.
During our research phase, we also received workshops from various artists such as the theatre maker Chris Thorpe (Unlimited Theatre based at West Yorkshire Playhouse) and the Czech choreographer Lenka Vagrenova (Winner of The Herald Angel Award). The research had input from a wide range of people including access workers who were in the studio supporting the disabled dancers. There was real diversity in terms of age, ethnicity, social and cultural backgrounds while creating this work, and each individual contributed to how sensitively we approached this universal human experience.’
David Toole says:
‘Lucy is a very collaborative artist and I always enjoy working with her. She is a pioneering inclusive choreographer and knows how to make the most of a diverse team. How she has created a training programme for disabled dancers like Hannah is impressive too. It has taken about 18 months to make The Enormous Room and I am looking forward to presenting this work to audiences’
HeadlineNew Enormous Room tour with disabled dancer
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The Enormous Room, a new touring production from Stopgap Dance Company opens in spring.
2017 at Sadler’s Wells Lilian Baylis Studio on 2 and 3 March 2017. Featuring renowned disabled dancer David Toole in a central role, the work focuses on the complex but poignant relationship between a father and daughter both living through a grieving process.
Dave’s wife Jackie has died, but he still sees her everywhere She is lying in his bed, sitting at the kitchen table and laughing with their daughter Sam. Dave has withdrawn into the living room unable to let his memories go, but going is all that Sam can think about….
David Toole’s extensive body of work includes a prominent solo in the 2012 Paralympic Opening Ceremony and the landmark 2004 film from DV8, The Cost Of Living. Both powerful and influential as performer and dancer, David Toole has worked with Stopgap Dance Company for over ten years and now in The Enormous Room, utilises his acclaimed physical and dramatic skills to bring the character of Dave to life.
Sam is played by Hannah Sampson, a young dancer with Down’s syndrome who has received 10 years of professional training with Stopgap Dance Company. The intricate interactions between the experienced David Toole and talented newcomer Sampson are set to intrigue. They are joined by non-disabled dancers Meritxell Checa, dancer and collaborator with celebrated French choreographer Philippe Decoufle and Amy Butler, the rehearsal director of Chotto Desh by Akram Khan, who take the roles of Jackie as Dave’s wife and Sam’s mother respectively.
Lucy Bennett, Stopgap’s Artistic Director and the choreographer for The Enormous Room chose to have two performers play Jackie to illustrate the subjective nature of memory. The Cambodian wheelchair dancer Nadenh Poan plays Chock, a Puck-like presence, who orchestrates the collision between this world and the next. Christian Brinklow from Great Yarmouth plays the role of Tom, who appears intermittently to offer his friend Sam a chance to escape sadness.
The lighting design by Chahine Yavrovan and the theatre design by Anna Jones of Curious Space, jointly evoke a dream-like atmosphere, portraying the surreal experiences that people go through during bereavement.
Artistic Director Lucy Bennett says:
‘The Enormous Room was devised from scratch with cast and collaborators such as Lou Cope the dramaturge, who has worked with artists like Sidi Larbi Cherkaoui and more recently on Garry
Clarke’s Coal, which just won the UK Theatre Award.
During our research phase, we also received workshops from various artists such as the theatre maker Chris Thorpe (Unlimited Theatre based at West Yorkshire Playhouse) and the Czech choreographer Lenka Vagrenova (Winner of The Herald Angel Award). The research had input from a wide range of people including access workers who were in the studio supporting the disabled dancers. There was real diversity in terms of age, ethnicity, social and cultural backgrounds while creating this work, and each individual contributed to how sensitively we approached this universal human experience.’
David Toole says:
‘Lucy is a very collaborative artist and I always enjoy working with her. She is a pioneering inclusive choreographer and knows how to make the most of a diverse team. How she has created a training programme for disabled dancers like Hannah is impressive too. It has taken about 18 months to make The Enormous Room and I am looking forward to presenting this work to audiences’
