Join us for preview performances that conclude a Research and Development phase of 'The Rising Damp & other Tails'!

SYNOPSIS

On a stormy night in the depths of a raging housing crisis, a merman hears the distant voice of an estate agent and falls desperately in love. Abandoning everything he’s ever known, he follows his heart, leaving the sea for a new life in Leeds.

Fast forward 10 years and things haven’t quite played out the way the merman had hoped. He has doubts about whether the estate agent, who is subletting him a damp room at the back of Open Source Arts, is truly in love with him.

To be honest, what’s happening is the merman’s home is on the market. You, the audience, are prospective buyers. The merman watches as his home, an attractively priced and conveniently located character property, is sold by the woman he loves. Kirkstall is on the up. Is this your moment to make the investment of a lifetime?

This immersive performance is a re-telling of Hans Christian Anderson’s ‘The Little Mermaid’ in the context of the housing crisis.

Featuring songs written and sung by members of Meeting Point and Solace Nordoff and Robbins.

THEMES

This work challenges ideas of property ownership within the cost of living and housing crisis, engaging communities in Leeds in creative explorations of these themes.

We will conduct interviews and facilitate songwriting workshops with people without access to affordable, decent homes. These encounters will be recorded and the voices will ‘occupy’ the property interrupting the estate agent’s attempts to lead the viewing. The performance questions the notion of property ownership, imagining a future where need rather than money has more capital.

-

*Our Crowdfunder is also live at the moment, please do click here to help us reach our target by donating and/or sharing it with your networks!*

-

As part of our residency at Open Source Arts we are offering two free workshops. Click here to book.
-

TEAM

Direction/ performance: Marianne Tuckman

Performance and Artistic Collaboration: Marco Gonazales

Sound Design: Francisco Petrucci

Light Design: Nicolás San Martín

Production: João Maio and Belisa Branças

Outreach Workshops Facilitation: Luke Wilson and Georgie Buchanan

Featuring music by Daniel McIntyre (lullahush)

Artistic Research : Paul Davies

Costume Design: Ailleen Klein

Poster Design: Ezo Karayel

Mermaid Tail Movement Training: Zoe Parker (Yorkshire Life Aquatic)

Artistic Mentoring: Fernanda Prata

Supported by Leeds City Council’s Leeds Cultural Investment Programmes and Volcano Theatre

-

VENUE INFORMATION AND ACCESIBILITY

Directions

We are located on Kirkstall road in Leeds – a short distance from the centre of the city – directly opposite ITV television studios in the Aire Place Mills complex. We are the first building on the left, the door is a large slatted green wooden push door.

Address: Unit 1A Aire Place Mills, 143 Kirkstall Rd, LS3 1JL

Find us at: ///struck.events.ridge

We encourage everybody to walk, cycle, or take the bus (33 and 33A or Leeds Bradford Airport bus 757, please ask the driver for the stop outside Yorkshire Television or Radio Aire).

For those who must drive, there is a carpark directly across Kirkstall Road, outside Yorkshire Television, or free on-street parking off Burley Road.

If you need to drive for accessibility reasons - there is one accessible parking space in the OSA Yarden. This space is for folks who need to drive to access the OSA building and activity.

Please do not be tempted to park through the blue gates near Open Source Arts. Those parking spaces are private, and the gates are often locked without warning. We won’t be able to help you get your car back!

There is space inside the building to leave your bike, and you can lock it up outside in the bike shed.

Any problems finding us, please call/txt us on 07455356134

Access & Facilities

Open Source Arts is accessed via a slightly uneven floor outside. The main door is about a metre in width and 5 meters in height. There are 2 gender neutral toilets on the groundfloor, one is accessible. The venue is split over two floors, with access to the upstairs (for the dance studio and cafe space) via a staircase of 14 steps with hand banisters on both sides. The downstairs is accessible via wheelchair.

There are baby changing facilities in the accessible toilet, and you are welcome to breastfeed at OSA.

If you have any accessibility questions or requirements please let us know in advance if possible, and we will do our best to help.