Community mural and creative workshops based on themes of new play by local playwright

A new play ‘The Fallout’ by Hattie Collins, Almanac Theatre, will undergo an R&D process at Wonford Community Centre alongside exciting participatory community activities centred around the themes of the play. As planting seeds and growing them is a central theme in ‘The Fallout’ Exeter Seed Bank will host seed collecting workshops, and a seed library will be set up at the community centre. On top of this, local Exeter artists Josh Elvey and Steve McCracken will also run street art workshops on the themes of ‘cultivate, nurture, grow’ culminating in a community led mural for the residents of Wonford. Wonford Community Centre are in a period of transition and want to develop how their community engages with the centre, both the mural and the seed library offer long term solutions and reasons for the community to continue to engage, strengthening ties and relationships in Wonford.

What is ‘The Fallout’ about?

In a not-so futuristic world, Hazel, a doctor, and Astra, a space shuttle engineer unexpectedly fall in love. But when the space travel industry causes terrible repercussions on people’s health and the planet, Hazel is left to deal with the results. Can you truly love someone who represents what you hate most in the world?

Alongside this wider project, playwright Hattie Collins, will develop and widen the research informing this new play with the help of researchers with a climate change background and engineering background from the University of Exeter. Hattie and local actor Sally Geake will work together to bring this re-written script to life at the end of the R&D process to be performed to the Wonford community.

After this sharing, the play has future programming confirmed with Exeter Phoenix, Villages in Action, Beaford Arts and Taunton Brewhouse. This Creative Arc commission allows testing and development space for this play before starting a South West tour in Autumn 2024.

Leading this project is local Playwright and Producer, Hattie Collins, through her new company Almanac. Hattie is a local playwright, theatre maker and producer, who was born in Exeter. Last year, she self produced and performed in the ACE funded tour of her new play ‘Kindle’ to SW venues and VAULT Festival, which received four star reviews and was nominated for an award. Hattie is one of Paines Plough’s mentored writers, as part of their ‘Tour the Writer’ scheme. Almanac creates female led work that centres around current issues, with complex and nuanced human relationships at its heart.

www.almanactheatre.co.uk