Open The Front Door

Part of the Blueprint Festival

Open the Front Door showcases the work of disabled artists or those who have experience of shielding during the pandemic. This series of three pieces of digital theatre platform artists who are pushing at the boundaries of what theatre can and should be. Many artists and audiences continue to shield or face significant barriers to leaving their homes. Open the Front Door can be enjoyed from the comfort of your armchair, bed or kitchen table. Tune in to adventure through an audio-visual poem about surviving cancer treatment during the pandemic, an odyssey through an English seaside town and dark corners of the mind and a playful online quest including monsters, magic powers and unicorns which guide us through Carmen’s real-life experience of cancer.


The Origin Of Carmen Power


An online superhero adventure filled with monsters, magic powers and Unicorns! There you’ll meet Carmen who, through this playful quest, shares her real-life experience of cancer five years ago when she was seven years-old. In this self-guided online experience, Carmen uses play and imagination to express the challenges she faced and overcome. Made in Association with the Unicorn Theatre with support from Arts Council England, John Thaw Foundation, Paul Hamlyn Foundation and Unlimited.


Humetheus and The Quest for the Bronze Cloak


See Humetheus in jeopardy, encountering mayhem and myths. Which way to turn, which challenge to conquer next, seems so binary. Our hero’s insatiable desire to prove worth may be the downfall that prevents him from ever seeing home again. What if Hugh & Steve get stuck in the loop of trying?


Swimming With Sharks


A short film exploring the physical sensations and emotional impact of Jenni’s treatment for acute myeloid leukaemia, which coincided with the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic. It was created to ‘bear witness’ to this experience; by describing one of the darkest, most difficult moments, and the fragile threads of hope that seemed to emerge from this lowest ebb.


 


To watch


Use the buttons below to book. You will receive the links to all three shows, and an video additional link to an introduction to the work, on your booking confirmation email.


Dates
11 Oct 2023
Prices
Free

Age guidance 7+


Contains themes of mental health, suicide, difficult/traumatic aspects of cancer treatment, and the pandemic

Creative team

Jenni Elbourne (she/her)
Writer & Producer
Chris Leslie
Creative Support
Carmen (she/her)
Creator
Toby Peach (he/him)
Creator
Sharon Kanolik (she/her)
Producer
George Day (he/him)
Filmmaker
Xana
Sound Design
Emma Higham (she/her)
Dramaturgy
Stewart Melton (he/him)
Writing Dramaturgy
Lou Platt (she/her)
Wellbeing Practitioner
Caitlin Williams (she/her)
Shadow Puppet Maker
Marta Alonso (she/her)
Scaredy Cat Maker
Robert Fiszer (he/him)
Website Design
Hugh Malyon (he/him)
Artist, Script and Co-Producer
Steve Sowden (he/him)
Artist, Script and Filmmaker
Mair George (she/her)
Co-Producer for the scratch performance

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