Community Arts in the High Peak
Darkness is the second performance from the Youth Arts Network High Peak. Drama and performance from the young people of the Fairfield Dreamscheme, the Buxton Opera House Kaleidoscope Youth Theatre and young people from Three Gables and College Road Family Centres. All coming together at Peak Cavern, Castleton, High Peak.
Click here for the full story – or watch the results below!
Scene 1 – To be audio corrected!
Scene 2
Scene 3
Scene 4
Scene 5 – the Grand Finale!
This is the short cut version of SuperChowder – met with critical acclaim!
So after many weeks of planning, writing, shooting, editing and much more – here is the finished film:
Superchowder from matt kowalczuk on Vimeo.
On 2nd November three audiences were taken through the chambers of the cavern, led through a dystopic world of uncertainty, panic and thoughts of the future. The performers have been on a journey which began in early September.
After a tour around Pooles Cavern, Fairfield DreamScheme and Kaleidoscope Youth Theatre were full of ideas! They met up, talked through everything and came up with the two themes – Trapped and Lost & Found.
Kaleidoscope Youth Theatre, from Buxton Opera House took the Trapped theme, and after some research Sian Dudley found the poem Darkness, by Lord Byron and loved it!
“As a bit of a Zombie super-fan anything apocalyptic is a winner with me!”she says.
They tried out loads of ideas in the rehearsal stages like throwing water around, writing in chalk on the floor (the floor will never be clean again) and lifting each other in the air. In the end it was 
just a case of asking ‘what looks the coolest, what makes sense and what can we do in a cave?’. Sian was also able to work with sound designer, Sam Woolstencroft, to produce some original soundtrack for elements of the show.
She says
“Music has played a big part in shaping this piece. There is something extremely visceral about the modern British Drum and Bass music which really captures the essence of panic.”
Sam also worked with the idea of bird cry building as the light drops.
Meanwhile Fairfield DreamScheme had run with an idea for a mysterious disappearance, and more mystery when the group is reunited. Some worked on the script, some wrote the joke sequences and then Britney came in with a rap! DreamScheme first worked with High Peak Community Arts on We Make Our World last year, working with drama worker, Tammy Foley. This year they’ve taken on the creative direction themselves, under DreamScheme member Tamara Lacey. Who says
“I’ve enjoyed taking more responsibility this year, but it’s been hard having one of the main parts as well – it is quite stressful.”
Sian from the Opera House came in to one of their last rehearsals to work on the grand finale, a piece for both groups to perform together. Sam also took pre-recorded voice overs to feed into the mystery of their dialogue scenes.
Then lines had to be learned and costumes produced by young people from two local children’s homes. Manchester-based theatre and costume designer, Nerissa Cargill Thompson, spent 4 evenings on steam-punk customisation of a range of jackets, and a double costume for the character of Eve, who ages 50 years during the story.
After an afternoon of rehearsals to get used to the challenging environment of the cave, the whole show was ready to open for it’s three consecutive runs. Audiences quickly got used to 
being part of the action as they were asked for help and pushed around into new positions.
After all the shocks, the laughs and the drama closed, Eve delivers her message about the future of planet earth, and the audience were asked –
what would you do if you only had one year left?
Friends of Chinley Park Celebratory Day!
Jim Lampard led an afternoon of music making at the Picnic in the Park in Chinley Park on Saturday 30th June 2012. Weird and wonderful scrap musical instruments were made under Jim’s expert guidance.
Hadfield, Padfield and Tintwistle Intergenerational project
Intergenerational poetry: The poems were part of a final day for the HPTI project which was all about different generations working and learning together, film work, games, challenges were all part of the process of this project and participants put in a lot of work, ideas and energy. The upshot was that stereotypes were challenged and young and old got to learn and develop thier skills together. The poetry created reflects both the project and ideas about generations, thanks to everyone that took part, the project was a real inspiration.
Together
Young and old come to meet
Session 1 was a real treat
Introductions who am I?
Quizzes, games no one was shy
As time went by relations grew
People joined together to learn something new
Valued others shared their knowledge
Is this an intergenerational college?
The week flew by we’ve almost done
And yet as always this session is fun
We celebrate, write poetry and rhyme
I hope we’ll meet again another time
Picture Perfect
Fixed in monochrome
Preserved for the future
No colour film then
The Challenge
Intergenerational working in theHighPeak
Based on wartime- memories to seek
Two generations to bring together
During summer holidays, despite winter weather
Older and younger, never met before
Offer a warm welcome to all at the door
Lunch is served at the start of each session
Before fun activities and sharing of treasured possessions
Start with an icebreaker to get to know names
Followed by a series of competitive games
Activities that all can participate and share
Regardless of age, ability or cares.
New friendships and relationships start to develop
Trust, respect and understanding of each
A sharing of knowledge, life and culture
Expectations, hopes, future dreams to reach
Week 5 already end of the project
Did we achieve what we hoped to achieve
We’ve made new friends bonded and gelled
Explained wartime objects, stories told
We’ve captured the sessions in sound and vision
We’ve recorded the memories in picture and film
Thanks to the techies Jordan and Sam
Two of the most friendly, talented men
It’s a pity to finish, a real shame to end
We hope you’ve enjoyed the time that you’ve spent
With us here on Fridays during the summer
Making new friends, having fun and in charlotte and Morgan’s case
“Being quiz runners.”
The Game
There was silence in the air
The wind and rain had stopped
The thought of Christmas sad
Away from home and family
The food we had was bad.
No longer guns were heard
No smoke, no screams, no mud
We played the game with the enemy
Shared food and drink and love
Now the day is over the
Guns and smoke begin
The killing and the maiming
How stupid it all seems
Why must we war and fight
Can talk and reason be?
Let people live in harmony
Good friends respect and love
Maybe then we will learn to respect
The power above.
Haiku
Fun Relay Quizzes
Racing against each other
Running towards Lynn
Generations
BEING 15… in
1953
Left school in ankle socks to start work at the Pan Yan Pickle factory £2 per week. Nightmare of mouldy clogs and overalls. Still played out at night
1965
Got my last doll, not grown up yet but after that no more Dolls.
1971
Got my first job £14 per week, had to give £10 to Mum.
2012
Mobile phones, laptops, hair dye, make up, clothes,
Boyfriends, parties, family and friends. Girls like cars and money.
Here’s a little teasy taster from Tuesday’s rehearsal!
Performances are at 6.30, 7.30 and 8.30pm on Friday 2 November 2012, Peak Cavern, Castleton. Tickets can be booked through Buxton Opera House Box Office, 01298 72190.
Find High Peak Community Arts and Youth Arts Network High Peak on Facebook, and read more on our website: www.highpeakarts.org
Please note – The paths of the cavern are uneven and sometimes slippery. If you use a wheelchair please get in touch before booking your ticket. We are also planning to use some strobe lighting effects, again please get in touch to let us know if you are unable to view this technique. Call Sophie at High Peak Community Arts on 01663 744 516.
HPCA is currently working in Partnership with Leicester University to look at what people think about the community in Glossop. We are running arts workshops with groups and we are planning a couple of open sessions at Glossop Market. The market sessions are open to anyone , we will be creating cartoons and maps for the day and asking for your thoughts, the dates for this are October 19th and 20th 2012.
The idea is to gather stories, thoughts, feelings about Glossop and its community. If you have anything you want to contribute to the project then why not get in touch. There will be an exhibition in January 2013 for this project we are currently inviting people to contribute something to this project exhibition, it can be poetry, painting, drawing, photography etc. Please contact us for more information the deadline for submissions is November 30th 2012. email jan@highpeakarts.org for more details.
On Friday 2 November 2012, Youth Arts Network High Peak came together for their second joint performance, inspired by the atmosphere of Peak Cavern and their own fevered imaginations. The show featured young people from Fairfield Dreamscheme and from Buxton Opera House’s Youth Theatre, who had worked together to set up the story. They had then taken their own sections of narrative to develop separately, before coming back together again in the final rehearsals. Meanwhile young people from College Road Children’s Home had been creating Steam Punk costumes to conjure up a futuristic, dystopian world. Others were learning stage make-up and developing the sound design.
The final results were a challenging vision of the future, not for the fainted-hearted – but those brave enough to attend left the Cavern with plenty to think about. 
