Neverland Research and Development
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Neverland by
Louise Maddocks "Imagine a place, a place that holds everything you like, everyone you love, every happy memory, every amazing dessert you’ve ever eaten. Imagine only happiness, only smiles, only pretty places and beautiful colours. Come and see a world of ideals, a world where everyone’s laughing, where the light is always right, where there is no bad angle, a place with your friends, where holidays can last all year, where your hair is always perfect and every word you say is the right one. Imagine your favourite song lyrics, quotes from your favourite films, dream outfits, ideas for the perfect bedroom, all in one amazing, unbelievable place. A space that’s all yours, that you put yourself into, daily. A place that you have helped to build, a place to stay, a place to dwell in and on. A place with no space for a bad day, a tricky moment, a bit of boredom - this we must keep away, must defend this paradise. Think twice about what goes here. If it’s not good enough we must try harder, must stick our necks out, pull ourselves in, this place only has room for thin. A place that must be maintained with the best of things, strings that tie you and it together, because here is where you can keep the best bits - forever. It’s never, ever going to get broken, get taken away, this is our legacy, our way of facing the world and saying – this is me. A diary without the heart ache, without the mistakes, without the, without the heart – this will set you apart. You are the happinest person alive – look, just look how often I smile, it’s all the time. Run away with me here, where I’ll never fear being found, I am so proud of that contouring, so proud of the likes pouring, pouring in. He loved it, she laughed – out loud. I can’t blend into the crowd here. I’m building a cloud here. A land that I can never quite touch, never quite reach, while I’m awake and counting sheep because of all the tweets and all the screen shots sneaked. What if they’re keeping parts of me too? Feel like they’re watching everything I do as I’m collecting memories to send to this land. I can’t understand why it doesn’t feel as good as it looks. I don’t feel like it’s ever enough. Never fun enough, never big enough, never laughing hard enough. After three, everybody laugh with me… Boomerage it, lets watch it back and back, over and over, until we can really feel how happy with might have been. Remember when you used to dream? When you were small? Remember, stories of a world you could never quite reach, beyond the stars, hiding in plain sight? Islands and castles that you thought just might have been the answer you’d been looking for. Remember, the first day you got that phone and without really realising, you decided to make a Never Land of your own. A place seen only through a filter, a strange, glowing light, a place where you could put all the wrongs right. What does the the Never Land you dream of a night? Freedom, the chance to give perfect a rest, a break, to stop treating life as a test. Of who can collect, the most, the most. Maybe for you to stop putting so much you into a ghost, into a host that isn’t really real. Maybe the Never Land you just wants to feel, to feel. Enough. Like it’s all enough, you are good enough, your friends are good enough, your skin, your face, your body, your race, because this never ending case to Neverland. Maybe it’s all a waste. Face to face. Heart to heart. Present. Presence. Life’s going fast, build something that will last. Tik Tok, Tik Tok, Tik Tok. " |
Audience Feedback “The young people all thoroughly enjoyed the experience and it gave them plenty to think about, especially their use of social media and the effects it can have.” Youth Worker "I want all my students to see it! This work will stick with me for a very long time" Teacher "Loved every minute of it, clever, funny, fun props, lighting and story. Choreography and performance was incredible." Audience Participant "Loved It. Absolutely Amazing from start to finish" Audience Participant "I could see my life on stage. So true!" Audience, aged 16. "Neverland was an emotional experience, which as a parent highlighted digital life for youth today. It really does make you think." Parent "Powerful, clever, sends a strong message and thought provoking." Audience Participant "This work needs to tour and work with schools." Audience Participant "The show really resonated with my students." Teacher Evaluation Feedback 100% of our young people said that they use social media to engage with the arts. 100% of our audience said that Neverland could help adults to engage in further conversations with young people and their digital identity. #cultureisdigital |
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After a successful research and development process, Lauren is interested in developing the work to create a visually spectacular, immersive installation piece that lives on social media, with narrative fed through social media channels before, during and after the show. Lauren wants to use phase two, to reach more young people through her research and to give audiences more control of the outcomes of the performance, using digital media. Audiences are invited to capture the work and share their own perspectives of the work online and Lauren will eventually create a digital archive that celebrates community engagement and digital culture' #makingneverland'
"I feel more equipped to ask better questions, to experiment with accessible digital media in my dance making, and to position myself as a dance artist that can reframe the art form so that my work can respond to children and young people's needs, aspirations and creative appetite. I fundamentally know what I want to achieve through the next phase of the work and will work super hard to get there." Lauren Tucker |
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Tuckshop Dance Theatre welcomes you to Neverland. An interactive dance and digital story telling experience for young people and families. Neverland is a world of possibility shaped by the voices and minds of young people growing up online. This visually striking, highly physical and entertaining show presents honest, emotional and uplifting stories that reveal the tensions between reality and virtual existence. How can what we post online twist our fate in real life? What do we share, hide and reveal?
In Neverland you will find Dance, Augmented Reality, Social Media and Visual Projections to reveal young people's views around what they love and hate about social media.
"I feel that there is a need for more dialogue concerning young people and their digital identity, online behaviour and interests. As an artist sharing multiple perspectives of young people living online, it is my role to do the work of the dialogue." Lauren Tucker
In Neverland you will find Dance, Augmented Reality, Social Media and Visual Projections to reveal young people's views around what they love and hate about social media.
"I feel that there is a need for more dialogue concerning young people and their digital identity, online behaviour and interests. As an artist sharing multiple perspectives of young people living online, it is my role to do the work of the dialogue." Lauren Tucker
Lauren Tucker has been working with young people to find out what life is like for young people in our digital world, to explore digital identity, to allow young people to reflect on how they present themselves, develop relationships. The work aims to celebrate individuality in young people, to empower them to make positive choices, to amplify youth voice and use digital technology in a meaningful and effective way.
In the Make Your Mark Youth Consultation carried out by Youth Parliament, the Northwest outlined Mental Health as a top priority issue for young people. Cheshire West and Chester, Cheshire East, Liverpool and Wirral believed that Mental Health Services should be improved with young people’s help and should be available in schools. http://www.ukyouthparliament.org.uk/makeyourmark/
Tuckshop Dance Theatre consulted with hundreds of young people from the Northwest to find that 100% of the young people involved in the research, believe that social media can have a negative impact on mental health and well-being of young people. Neverland looks at young people’s digital identity what role social media is playing on developing healthy and active global citizens both on and offline.
Within the show there is references to sexting, online grooming, cyber bullying, relationships. The story of Peter Pan, The Happiness Effect by Donna Freitas, interactive narratives in online gaming, a range of articles and years of experience working with young people have also played a role in shaping the show.
It must be said that a lot of positive stories were shared about young people and their relationship with Social Media, and Neverland opts for celebrating the positives over the negatives but questions were raised about how the adult population support young people as they explore, curate and present their digital identity.
In a recent BBC documentary ‘Dancing For Happiness’ https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b0btt5n1/darcey-bussell-dancing-to-happiness Dance- the outcome rich art form was viewed as an effective way to support young people in their development, to empower young people to thrive. As I reflect on my own dancing journey, I can see how cultural learning fosters resilience in young people. My practice is driven by a desire for social change, and a passion to use movement and dance as a way of developing young people. I want to create a dance and digital interactive experience that cultivates curiosity, dialogue, that sticks in people’s minds as a show that made me rethink how I was living my life, to celebrate who they are, and to empower them to be active citizens that can live authentically.
