we are not
supposed to be here
@ Royal Central School of Speech and Drama & Fosdyke, Lincolnshire
we are not supposed to be here was the project which formed Ordinary Stories Theatre and our creative process. With a shared interest in perceptions and understandings of rural places, OST visited Fosdyke (Lincolnshire) for a week, to investigate life in a rural village similar to those which we grew up in.
In Fosdyke, we hosted a workshop for the local community entitled ‘Stories of Fosdyke’, in which we held discussions, interviews and activities about rurality. Participants generously answered our questions, and these conversations became an integral starting point in our research and theatre making process. Following their recommendations, we visited the local church, Social Club, Bingo Hall, Marshes, pubs and more locations that informed the piece.
How do you feel your hometown is perceived by those who live in metropolitan areas?
What does the word ‘rural’ mean to you?
What are the challenges of living in a rural place?
We returned to the rehearsal room with an aim to explore our findings through performance. We used improvisation to create stories and characters, and scenography and storytelling methods to encapsulate the flatness of the Fenland and the feeling of vast, open space. The result was an ominous, charged and atmospheric piece intertwined with comedy and lightness.
we are not supposed to be here shaped the way we work. We want to identify the rich stories that can be found in ‘ordinary’ places and work with communities to provide creative opportunities and amplify their voices.
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
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"An atmospheric and thoughtful piece about life in an extreme rural environment"
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"A watch that was funny, relatable, disturbing, uncomfortable and mysterious"
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"I felt like I had been transported into the middle of this small village"
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"The comedic elements was this piece’s strength, with thoughtful commentary on rural life from the perspective of those who live in rural communities but also those who don’t"
• "An atmospheric and thoughtful piece about life in an extreme rural environment" • "A watch that was funny, relatable, disturbing, uncomfortable and mysterious" • "I felt like I had been transported into the middle of this small village" • "The comedic elements was this piece’s strength, with thoughtful commentary on rural life from the perspective of those who live in rural communities but also those who don’t"
STORIES OF FOSDYKE
CREATIVE WORKSHOP
Stories of Fosdyke was OST’s first Creative Workshop, held at Fosdyke Village Hall.
We facilitated creative activities, such as drawing, story sharing and mind mapping with local photography, whilst holding informal conversations about rurality and the Fenland.
In addition to these, we held 1:1 interviews with participants, providing them with the opportunity to share stories and thoughts which they felt relevant to our project and the subjects we were investigating.
