Things We Broke During Lockdown
Valise Noire's Creative Response to Lockdown 1.0
New Writing Inspired by Your Stories
Lockdown Stories: Cracks Appearing
Earlier this year, Valise Noire Storytelling Theatre asked for public stories of things people broke during Lockdown 1.0.
During the first quarantine, we were meeting the unknown. We couldn't go out, except for necessities and exercise time. If you broke something it was hard to fix, hard to get parts, or the expertise needed.
Broken Open
This got us thinking about the larger picture. Lockdown brought much to the surface. All that was cracking or already broken, was seen more clearly: the systems of society, dynamics in the home, our own behaviour patterns and habits.
We heard from those who smashed and trashed objects, those who broke bones and hearts and homes. We were told of losses and longings, shattered perceptions, fragmented routines and broken communication.
Breaking Free
We found new ways of communicating and relating - often through an unstable internet connection! We Zoomed like never before and online parties, dance and quizzes became an unexpected part of our lives.
Many of us broke out of roles and routines. We were all thrown out of our comfort zones. Lockdown 1.0 tested us, it was messy and not at all graceful. The effects continue to unfold inside us and around us.
Valise Noire Lockdown Videos
In these times of change and challenge, we wanted to create art to move and entertain you, and for you to have space to share what you'd noticed and broken, in some way.
We wrote and filmed a series of comedy sketches, poems, snippets and insights, monologues and even a few out-takes.
In these times of change and challenge, we hope these creative offerings move and entertain you.
Zoom: Broken Communication - The first in our series of shorts inspired by public experiences of Lockdown 1.0
Thank you to all who have shared your quarantine experiences with us and to The National Heritage Lottery Fund for the funding that enabled us to purchase the technical equipment to bring the work to life.
Credits: inspiration from the general public, as well as ideas and improvisation from Michele O'Brien and Alice Flynn. Written by Alice Flynn, performed and directed by Michele O'Brien and Alice Flynn.
