The Performance
A synopsis of the site-specific piece created by the Projects team and the Brige school students.
WHERE ARE WE GOING?
Prologue
The audience gather in the hall. The curtains are open, the (house) lights are on normally. Music. Scenes from the workshops are played on the screen over the stage.
Scene 1: Sleep Journey
On screen (text):
Welcome to
Where are we going?
Please follow us on our journey to school.
The performers lead the audience out of the Hall door, across the playground and down the corridor. The hall is dark and lit with blue light. There are silver, star-shaped helium balloons in the corridor. Some of the performers light the way with torches.
As the audience walk down the corridor, they hear a loud snoring coming from the hall. As they arrive back into the hall, the lights have gone out, the curtains are drawn, there are credits – the students doing their sign names – on the screen. Everyone is feeling very tired.
Scene 2
The Cadwalader volunteers help to seat the audience while the performers spread across the stage and fall asleep. The snoring continues.
Scene 3
The snoring gradually fades as the light starts to spread across the stage. Very gradually the performers start to wake and stretch. As they wake, the Almeida performers start to whisper their names:
(call and response)
Adam’s waking up …
MJ’s waking up …
Charlie’s waking up ...
etc.
As everyone gets to their feet, Freddie leads an early morning dance/stretch to Dizzee Rascal’s Fix Up Look Smart.
Martin gets everyone washing their face, cleaning their teeth, brushing their hair. Bubbles start to drift across the audience. Performers scrub each others’ backs with brushes. Cadwalader volunteers make washing/scrubbing noises using percussion instruments.
Sally leads everyone having breakfast: eating cereal, drinking tea.
Everyone puts on their scarves and hats, ready to go outside.
Scene 4:
It’s a dark winter morning and the buses are late. Everyone waits in a big group at the back of the stage for the buses, following car headlights as they go past.
Music
Briefly we see the screen flicker to life – showing students arriving at Holloway School.
As the music fades, the performers are looking at their watches, clicking their fingers and feeling angry that the buses haven’t arrived.
(call and response)
Where’s the bus?
It’s late.
It’s late again!
I’m really cold!
And really tired.
HOLD ON!
The bus is here!
As the buses arrive, Martin, Freddie and Sally push Sara, Chantelle and MJ to the front of the stage and into their corners. As they move, everyone gets on their bus. The buses move off across the stage. There are white lights at the front of the buses. Everyone waves ‘goodbye’ to each other and to the audience.
Scene 5
The buses arrive at Woodbridge Road. On the screen we see students waiting at Holloway School.
Everyone says ‘Good morning’ to each other. Suddenly they realise that the school is empty.
(Call and response)
Hold on!
Where is everybody?
Where are all the teachers?
There’s no-one here …
Are they in the staff room?
NO!
Are they in the playground?
NO!
Are they in the garden?
NO!
Where’s Peter?
Everyone starts looking for Peter and the other teachers. As they do so the screen flickers to life again …
Scene 6: film
A group of Holloway school students and Peter Imray (Bridge School teacher), waiting for the Bridge School students to arrive. When no-one turns up they get more and more bored. Eventually Peter leaves the school, walks down the road, past the Almeida Theatre, past Cadwalader, down Woodbridge Street, turns into the Woodbridge Road site and walks through the door, into the hall …
Scene 7: Peter enters
Peter walks through the door.
Peter:
Hold on!
Where have you been?
This is the old school!
We’re going to the new school today!
Slowly, everyone realises that they’ve come to the old school rather than the new school. Everyone laughs and is really excited about going to the new school.
The performers dance into the playground (and into the sunset!). They return with a balloon each to take their bow. On the screen, the Holloway students take their bow.