Theatre News

Caravan Brings a Flood of Memories to the Roundhouse

| Off-West End |

10 July 2009

Summer 2007 was the wettest England and Wales had seen since 1912. The result was flooding so severe that 13 people died, 50,000 were displaced from their homes and £2 billion of damage was sustained. By the following summer there were still 2,000 households living in caravans, their homes made inhabitable by water damage. Some families have still not been able to go home.

Next month Look Left Look Right’s The Caravan rolls onto the terrace at the Roundhouse in Camden Town. The documentary theatre show, which runs from 8-23 August, sees an audience of just eight invited into the caravan to hear verbatim accounts of those affected by the flooding, alongside visual and audio footage of events.

Working from Mimi Poskitt’s original concept the company conducted interviews with indivuduals involved, including representatives of local authorities, regional media, the Environment Agency, National Flood Forum, Association of British Insurers, Landmark Information Group and community groups. What began as a simple story about flooding became an exploration of the consequences of human disregard for our environment.

The Caravan’s Roundhouse visit follows success at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe 2008, including a Fringe First Award, a run at the Royal Court Theatre and a national tour, which continues after the final performances in Camden.

Look Right Look Left are dedicated to making theatre that examines how individual lives are affected by major national and international events. Their last production, Yesterday Was a Weird Day: Reflections on July 7th 2005, which explored responses to the London July bombings, was performed at the Edinburgh Fringe and Battersea Arts Centre.