light / half
@ The Place, Newport
Ordinary Stories Theatre were commissioned as one of Tin Shed Theatre Co’s Creative Curations Resident Artists 2025.
We spent two weeks in Newport, South Wales, creating a performance called ‘light / half’ to be performed at Newport Live Act Fringe Festival.
This piece was an exploration of the Spring Equinox and the changing of the seasons. We considered how this might be celebrated or marked in rural and metropolitan environments in Wales, and across the world.
To research this subject, we visited local sites such as Trellech, Newport Wetlands and green spaces near Newport City Centre. We held 1:1 interviews, ran workshops with local community groups and stayed curious…! ‘light/ half’ was an amalgamation of the themes we encountered along the way; celebration, ritual, tradition and spring.
AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
"A reset. Energy giving"
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"It was so full of energy! Joyful, mindful and inspiring"
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"Loved the set elements and the physicality of the performance. Audience participation was brilliant, felt like a shared experience"
•
"A reset. Energy giving" • "It was so full of energy! Joyful, mindful and inspiring" • "Loved the set elements and the physicality of the performance. Audience participation was brilliant, felt like a shared experience" •
SEASONS & RITUALS
CREATIVE WORKSHOP
As part of this project, we developed a new creative workshop, Seasons and Rituals at Plot 4, Coldra Road.
This involved welcoming in the spring season by writing our wishes and intentions on scraps of fabric which were then coloured with natural dye. These were hung, alongside decorated eggs, on a communal artwork which we used to brighten the allotment space.
Throughout this workshop, OST held 1:1 workshops and group conversations to discuss the themes we were exploring in light/ half. Participants were invited to attend the performance to observe how their thoughts and reflections on the Spring Equinox shaped the piece.
