A Note from the brain behind the Home Is... project
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Home Is... was an ambitious project. The idea was to highlight narratives of displacement that aren't normally discussed in detail in the mainstream, using poetry in collaboration with visual arts as an exploratory and interpretative tool.
It's a little unreal to look back on the fact that some 5 years ago, I was trying to convince myself out of starting the Home Is... Project, or writing the play because I wasn't confident I had the skills. Before this, I had never curated a project, let alone one that involved several artists, applying for grants, organising a tour, writing a full length play, etc.
Three Arts Council grants, many poets, lots of workshops, interviews, 2 directors, 10 actors, 14 shows and 4 exhibitions later, I'm blown away by how the project grew and how people have rallied around to make it a success. I learnt a whole lot.
On Thursday, Ilé La Wà took the stage at Curve Leicester for the last leg of our Spring tour. Not only was it a full house, but the audience got into it. The reactions were palpable; grunts, mmh's, one Amen, laughter, everything but the silence that some say should be considered good etiquette in a theatre. I was here for all for it. It made the whole cast feel at home.
It was bitter-sweet to wrap up production on the play and indeed the project, but all good things end. I'm ever grateful to Arts Council England for supporting the project from R & D stage to tour. Tom Green of Counterpoint Arts and Shirley May of Young Identity were also long term supporters.
The project website at www.whenifindhome.com will soon be retired, so we have moved all materials here for posterity.
Do please check out the other pages for the details of the project.
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Tolu