Sinfonia is a new work by The Performance Ensemble. It is part of 1001 Stories, a collaboration between The Performance Ensemble, Leeds Playhouse, Leeds Museums and Galleries and Leeds Older People’s Forum for LEEDS 2023. The seventy-five minute show intertwines dance, music and stories.
Artistic Director Alan Lyddiard sees the work of Performance Ensemble as ‘the space between professional, amateur and community arts practice’. Alan, in common with a few of the performers, had a long theatre career. At the age of seventy two, he is now approaching theatre on his own terms.
The stories are personal but relatable, often poignant – but never morose. They may be set in Leeds, working at Burtons, or far away, watching osprey in Scotland. These were people reflecting on lives lived but living very much in the present. There was the acknowledgment of loss but also a celebration of what is still possible.
During the performance, issues that may affect older people, such as bereavement and sight loss, are visited, but in very specific stories. We are reminded that these are events that can occur at any age, and that life goes on.
Dance and music take many forms throughout the performance. It is tempting to dismiss the tai chi type chair-based movements at the beginning of the performance as indicative of the limitations of the performers. This is a slow introduction to dance moves that become ever more complex and energetic.
Whilst some performers are limited in their movements, others display the skills they retain from work as professional dancers, or levels of fitness unexpected at their age. The chairs may enable the actors to rest but they are also part of the performance. Chair choreography could become a new art form.
Nikola Kodjabashia is musical director and composer for the project. He draws upon cultural traditions of people from Leeds to create an original soundscape. Memory is stirred without calling upon nostalgia. At times it is discordant and forceful; at others, melodic and soothing.
Song is performed by individuals and as an ensemble. The Italian protest Bella Ciao is sung first a Capella, and then by the whole group, in Italian. A recurring refrain of opposition and struggle.
The use of other languages is one indication of the diversity of the group. Leung Ip tells her story in Cantonese, while a translation appears on the screen behind her. There are memories of South Africa, Hong Kong, even outer space, but they all lead here, to Leeds.
We are also asked to consider disability. The difficulty of lip reading, having to deal with sight loss, difficulty with walking. I liked that the one wheelchair user on stage chose to talk about her addiction to smoking rather than mobility. Using a walking stick to sound a large gong during a musical interlude said a lot to me about using whatever you have, and making the most of it.
The performance is part of a two week takeover by older people entitled 1001 Stories. Perhaps the audience will be prompted to attend other events. Those who were reminded about time at Burtons might join the reunion on Thursday morning. Perhaps they would like to hear more about Margaret Bending’s experiences of being a rocket scientist on Thursday afternoon. You could sit back and listen to the Hong Kong Choir on Tuesday afternoon or relive your musical youth watching scenes depicting the punk scene and Rock against Racism in Leeds on Saturday afternoon.
In one of the stories, an actor referred to ‘the small gap between being a carer and being cared for’. I suspect many of the audience recognised that Performance Ensemble was making the most of that gap. Perhaps some of us went away feeling we should grasp it with firmer hands.
7 p.m. performances continue up to and including 6 May. https://leedsplayhouse.org.uk/event/sinfonia/
Photographs provided by Leeds Playhouse.
