9. REST! REST! REST!

While hosting a drag night in mid-June, Morgan suffered an accident that sustained him a moderate brain injury. While he was expected to make a full recovery, with no permanent damage, his concussion meant that working on the show faced a tectonic shift. He was advised not to listen to loud music, look at screens, see flashing lights, exercise or use heavy brain activity for at least 3 weeks. The problem, other than the injury itself, of course is that all these things are necessary for the show itself! We literally were aiming to create a multisensory (brain activity) clubland (loud, flashy) with movement (exercise) and Morgan was the sound designer (screens). It was a nightmare come true!

The group were understanding, and gave Morgan plenty of time to rest at home. The remaining three used the time to read, research through watching other work and map out the project’s future.

The realisation, however, is that we did not find rest pleasurable. Where many people find pleasure in spa treatments, sleepy days and other restful practices, this break-pulling we found to make us restless! We were itching to continue, to not stop. Morgan found it difficult to be away. We had a conversation about our compulsive needs to be seen as fun, energetic, ‘the life of the party’. We wanted control over the time we had. 

When Morgan returned to rehearsal, he watched the physical work for a while so that he could be cautious. However, we knew that we had learnt the significance of not wanting to stop, never wanting the party to die. This informed the show structure, giving it relentlessness in its false endings, long dance sections that spill over into others, of always wanting more. It also informed an important conversation on consent, being honest with yourself and procedures for when our body needs to step back from the demands of the show. We implemented, for example, a given rule that any one of us can sit or lie during the show, and the others will make it part of the world. We also introduced a prop fan to cool us down and a scheduled water break. 

Our show’s tagline sarcastically became: Don’t Stop.