© New Adventures & SDN, Photo by Graham Carlow of ‘Doorstep Duets’ programmed by SDN, 2022

In 2022 we partnered with Matthew Bourne’s New Adventures to bring their ‘Doorstep Duets’ to communities across Sussex over three days in August reaching 385 audience members who normally have barriers to accessing the theatre for various reasons. Communities from Brighton to Eastbourne were able to enjoy two new works for free in their local neighbourhoods and through their local community-based organisations. Our role within this project was funded by the amazing The Chalk Cliff Trust.

A group of people watch a performance in a community venues garden.

Day 1: Brighton

A woman performs in front of a ferry. She is tuning the radio.

Day 2: Seaford, Newhaven & Peacehaven

A group of people watch dancers perform in their front garden.

Day 3: Eastbourne

We took ‘Doorstep Duets’ to:

  • Relaxed Performance: Private Garden, performed for a group of babies/toddlers with different physical and learning needs and their mothers/carer who all met at a baby group but had never done anything socially together.

 

  • Performance and touch tour at Blind Veterans, a charity, providing free support and services to vision-impaired ex-Armed Forces and National Service personnel.

 

  • Macmillan Horizon Centre for people who have or are experiencing cancer and staff/volunteers offering support.

 

  • Brighton Unemployed Centre Families Project who provide practical support, education, advice and much more to those in poverty, in poor living conditions, benefit claimants, the unwaged, pensioners, families and those on low incomes and suffering social exclusion and poor wellbeing. Performed in a park, audiences included others in the park and accessing the Tarner Community Project. 

 

  • Public performance at The Hop 50+, with invited groups attending the community centre and passer-by. 

We took ‘Doorstep Duets’ to:

  • Private Garden, of family experiencing isolation.

 

  •  Newhaven Foyer, a modern support housing development providing self catered rooms and self contained flats with support services for young people aged 16-24 experiencing homelessness. 

 

  • Kempton House Day Centre, a meeting place for elderly members of the community experiencing isolation and loneliness.

 

  • Sussex Community Development Association staff and Denton Island Nursery attendees and staff.

 

  • Public performance at Newhaven Marina Promontory in collaboration with Newhaven Festival.

We took ‘Doorstep Duets’ to:

  • SeaDEEP, an assisted living facility providing support with dementia.

 

  • Three private gardens for elderly members of the community receiving support from Everycare and their neighbours/carers.

 

  • The Hawthorns Retirement Village.
“Thank you so much for the wonderful performance that you gave at Blind Veterans today. Our members who are blind or visually impaired absolutely loved it and as you quote” immersed” themselves in the High Tide theme. The wonderful way that the team interacted with the members with the descriptions of themselves and props was commendable. We cannot thank you enough for taking the time to visit our centre and members.”
Jane Gates – Activities Co-ordinator – Blind Veterans UK

Find out more about what our audiences thought!

Text Reads: The Chalk Cliff Trust
Logo in black reading: New Adventures, 'Doorstep Duets 2022'

SDN Team: 

Executive Producer: Katie Dale-Everett

Producers: Amy Robyn-Lyster and Frances Livesey

Assistants: Orla Connolly and Gabby Sanders

NA Team: 

Choreographers: Daisy May Kemp and Sophia Hurdley

Dancers: Ashton Hall, Cameron Flynn, Isaac Peter Bowry, Luke Murphy, Madelaine Brennan and Savannah Ffrench

Communities Producer: Stephen Daly

Stage Manager: Jamie Capewell