the allotment project
by casson & friends

Documentary meets dance to celebrate growing plants & relationships in the garden.

THE ALLOTMENT PROJECT is a Documentary Dance Theatre performance by Casson & Friends, that explores allotments, gardens and the communities around them!

With interviews from allotment owners & community gardeners of all ages, intercut & combined with compelling movement, THE ALLOTMENT PROJECT is a unique performance that reveals our relationship to the land, nature and each other.

An intimate duet that is human, humorous and heartwarming, the performance celebrates the joy of growing plants, food, and relationships across all four seasons.

Share your thoughts on the performance using #AllotmentProjectShow

credits

• Choreographed by Tim Casson in collaboration with the performers

• Performed & Created with Lucy Starkey & Bethany Edwards (full-plot)

• Also performed by Alice Shepperson & Bethany Edwards (half-plot)

• Original Score by Paul Rogerson

• Co-Created with Allotmenteers & Community Gardeners in Chatham, Corby, Wellingborough, Kettering and Peterborough

• Production Manager Samuel Parker

• Production Assistant Helen Dawson

• Special thanks to Sally Lampitt, Elliot Lampitt, Leo Kay, Naziha Arebi and Ryan Stafford

• Commissioned by Applause Rural Touring, Creative Estuary and Made With Many

• Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England

• Created with additional support from Peterborough Presents, 101 Outdoor Arts Creation Space, Restoke, Westraven Community Garden, Arches Local, Green Patch, Ladywell Allotments, & Wellingborough Eco Group

fun facts

• This performance was inspired by interviews we undertook with 40 allotment holders and community gardeners in Kent, Corby, Kettering, Wellingborough and Peterborough - there were over 40 hours of interveiws!

• All of the words you hear are from the people we interviewed, and all the moves you see were inspired by the themes that came up across these conversations including; growth, the seasons, and a strong sense of community.

• You might wonder why the performers are using iPods and headphones… In some sections we use a technique called ‘Headphone Verbatim’ - this means that although the performers know the words, during the performance they listen to the recording of the original interview, and attempt to speak in-time with this recording. This helps them to keep the intonation and speech pattern from the person we interviewed (including all the um’s, er’s, and stumbles), making it feel like you’re watching a ‘real person’ - not just a performer saying lines.

• The whole technical setup (including lights & sound) is wireless and rechargeable, meaning we can perform the show anywhere - even on an allotment plot.

• The area the performers are in is only 12 square meters - approximately half a pole, rod, or perch - the measurements traditionally used to measure allotments.

• If you have any more questions or comments about the show you can get in touch with us here

if you enjoyed the performance, why not donate?

How to grow your sunflower 🌻

Did you pick up one of our seed envelopes?
Just follow these simple steps to get green-fingered and grow your own GIANT SUNFLOWER!

WHEN?

These sunflowers (Helianthus annuus) grow between March & September

WHAT DO I NEED?

A small pot, some potting soil, and your sunflower seed!

• MARCH to APRIL - PREPARE & PLANT

  • Fill a pot about 2/3 full with good potting soil

  • Sow your seed 0.5cm under the soil

  • Gently water every few days or when the soil is looking a bit dry

• MAY - TRANSFER

  • Transfer your seedling outdoors to a bigger pot or in the soil - they love being in full sun!

• JULY to SEPTEMBER - FLOWERS

  • You should see it flower over the sunny Summer months! 🌻

Don’t forget to share your results using the hashtag #AllotmentProjectShow

gardening tips

As we tour and grow the show, we have been collecting gardening tips!
We also recommend checking out Thrive who have loads of really easy ways to get into gardening!

Equipment

• Recycle

• Don’t buy things new if recycled/saved things will do!

• Gardeners are a generous bunch, ask around if you need something!

Plant Varieties

• Oxalis

• Don’t keep the flowers on Oxalis - if you cut them off, the plant will love you! 

• Lavender

• When pruning lavender, only remove new growth, don’t cut into the woody stems

• Broad Beans

• When planting broad beans, always sow two - one for yourself and one for the slugs!

Day to Day

• Comfort

• Always have a comfy chair close by!

• Patience

• Things don’t grow overnight, have patience and go with the flow!

tour dates

2024

• 16th March - ORDSALL - Ordsall Parish Hall - Rural Touring with Live & Local (full-plot)

• 23rd March - TUTBURY - Tutbury Village Hall - Rural Touring with Live & Local (full-plot)

• 11th May - WALSALL - Caldmore Community Garden - Rural Touring with Black Country Touring (half-plot)

• 16th May - WELLINGBOROUGH* - Ladywell Allotments with Wellingborough Eco Group (full-plot)

• 18th May - SHEFFIELD - Sheffield University Drama Studio (full-plot)

• 19th May - SMETHWICK - Dorothy Parkes Allotments - Rural Touring with Black Country Touring (half-plot)

• 21st May - KETTERING* - The Green Patch (full-plot)

• 23rd May - PETERBOROUGH - Westraven Community Garden (full-plot)

• 24th May - HARROGATE - Harrogate Theatre (full-plot)

• 25th May - THURROCK - T100 Garden Party - Rural Touring with Applause (half-plot)
  
  *Community Performances - contact us for more information

  (20 minute ‘half-plot’ version & 60 minute ‘full-plot’ version)

2023

• 6th May - Lodsworth Village Hall (half-plot)

• 7th May - Sellindge Village Hall (half-plot)

• 29th June - National Rural Touring Forum Conference, Shrewsbury (half-plot)

• 1st July - Made With Many’s Family Arts Festival, Corby (half-plot)

• 2nd July - Thank You Day, Chatham (half-plot)

• 27th July - Crossrail Roof Garden, Canary Wharf London (half-plot)

• 26th & 27th August - Re/Action Festival, Leicester (half-plot)

• 12th October - Fenton Town Hall, Stoke On Trent (Preview) (full-plot)

• 14th October - Ipstones Memorial Hall, Stoke On Trent (full-plot)

• 20th October - Luton Invicta Social Club, Chatham (full-plot)

• 21st October - Yaxley Apple Day, Yaxley (half-plot)

Biographies

Lucy Starkey - Performer

Lucy is a dancer, performer and choreographer. She works with companies, choreographers and directors across the UK and internationally.

A long-time collaborator with Casson & Friends, Lucy performs in ‘The Allotment Project,’ ‘Preppers,’ ‘The Dance We Made,’ and ‘Sticks and Stocks’. Her work with companies such as Made by Katie Green and About Time Dance Company also channels her passion for communicating stories and topics through text, dance and movement invention. Lucy’s career has seen her dance in a variety of contexts, from the stage to outdoors, opera, video, festivals, and non-traditional spaces including caves, woodlands and nuclear bunkers.

Lucy’s choreographic work as Lucy Starkey Dances includes ‘Into Our Skies: The Show’ and ‘Into Our Skies: Space in Schools’; a 6 week scheme created in collaboration with UCLan that includes 3 interactive educational videos and engages KS2 pupils in the Earth and Space topic.

Lucy graduated from London Contemporary Dance School in 2009 and was a member of NSCD’s Verve 2010.

images by Alisa boanta

allotment project trailer (half-plot version)

performance transcript