Exciting news – we have successfully completed our digital project, #DontStopTheFlames! #DontStopTheFlames took place virtually and, where possible, in person. Featuring Flames from Scotland, Japan and New Zealand, Tricky Hat and The Flames were able to create a series of eight films, which have collectively been viewed over 3,000 times. Through #DontStopTheFlames, The Flames were able to share their real, raw experiences of life at the present moment.

Creating this series has been a totally new experience for Tricky Hat and The Flames. Not being able to perform to a live audience and, instead, moving into a digital space has been an exciting challenge for us.

In addition to learning lots of new lingo (we’ve all heard “R-number”, “social distancing” and “unprecedented times” more than enough times now though, haven’t we?), The Flames also used technology more than ever before for the creation of #DontStopTheFlames. Keep scrolling to find out how The Flames boosted their digital skills over lockdown, and the benefits this project has had on their wellbeing and confidence.

Digital Upskilling

Many of The Flames raged against the digital world pre-Covid, but they have embraced the challenge and got stuck in. To keep The Flames connected, we set up a Facebook group for them. This provided a safe digital space for them to share ideas, chat about life and get to know one another better. Some Flames didn’t use Facebook until then, and this encouraged them to set up a profile. During the early stages of the pandemic, Facebook’s active users increased by a whopping 10%. It’s easy to understand why there has been such a surge. With many countries across the world banning in-person meetings, Facebook and other social media apps enable us to keep up-to-date with our loved ones.

Most of our workshops were held online via Zoom, which is another platform our Flames have become absolute pros at using. Zoom has fast become a household name. Work meetings, Friday night quizzes, job interviews… whatever your pandemic plans are, there’s a good chance Zoom is involved. The Flames have been taking part in group Zoom workshops, where they work together on tasks, catch-up with each other and learn new things.

Self-Filming

A key part of #DontStopTheFlames also involved The Flames gathering footage for the films. This meant filming themselves! Many were used to being filmed but were not used to having to do it themselves. This has been totally new experience and a learning curve, but one that most have enjoyed.

“I loved learning more about filming, lighting, composition – all of that. I love self-filming, I’ve learned that I don’t need an audience.”

“I’ve pushed through some of my natural inclinations to hide away from cameras.”

Digital Confidence

Many Flames also had some reservations about performing to a digital audience – especially at first – as getting to grips with new technology can be quite overwhelming. Now, the vast majority of Flames feel much more confident with using technology, and two-thirds said it made them more confident about approaching new technologies.

“I learned how to present the reality of my past and my stories in a much more real way, a true way, rather than as a performance.”

“I learned to enjoy my computer more and got more relaxed about filming stuff.”

“It has taken away my fears of technical skills.”

Following on from sessions with Kim, some Flames started to make their own short films as practice. The work they have produced is to such a high standard that Tricky Hat plans to release them on their own as ‘Sparks.’ This is a testament to how much The Flames have grown and improved their digital skills over the past year.

Wellbeing

In addition to boosting The Flames’ confidence with technology and their digital skills, #DontStopTheFlames has also helped to boost The Flames’ wellbeing. The regular Zoom workshops, being able to catch-up with Flames in Scotland and beyond, and having a creative outlet have all helped Flames to feel supported during such challenging times. 95% said that being a part of The Flames has improved their health and wellbeing.

“In a world of isolation, it’s great to see familiar faces.”

“The best thing about the project was meeting new Flames and re-meeting old Flames.”

“At the moment, it takes your mind off of this bloody virus.”

Taking Creative Risks

Tricky Hat worked hard to give Flames a focus by assigning several tasks for them to work on throughout the project. Some of these tasks were done as part of a group, and others were individual efforts. The Flames were also taught new creative skills that they can implement in their films and in future live performances by some brilliant guest artists over Zoom. In addition, The Flames felt empowered to take creative risks and try new things in their films.

“It’s a safe forum of creativity.”

“My favourite thing was the camaraderie and the inclusiveness.” 

“When life at the moment is pretty predictable, safe and grey, it was great to take some risks and learn to be a bit braver.”

Lessons Learned from #DontStopTheFlames

We had an amazing time working on this digital collaboration with The Flames. Yes, there were challenges along the way (as you would expect when collaborating on a film series during a pandemic), but there were also many moments of innovation and joy. The Flames never fail to amaze us with their endless bounds of creativity and courage, and #DontStopTheFlames highlights just how brave and imaginative they are.

Working on #DontStopTheFlames throughout the Covid-19 outbreak has been a massive learning curve for us all. We’re delighted that The Flames feel more confident around new technology and that this project has been beneficial to their overall wellbeing. Working in new ways has also encouraged us to be more innovative and shown us how adaptable we can be. We are positive that, when we re-emerge into a world with no restrictions or distancing, we will have more strings added to our bow and will be prepared for any challenges thrown our way!

Huge thank you to PLAY ART! SENDAI for their involvement with this collaboration and for managing the project on the Japanese side. Without them, #DontStopTheFlames would not have been possible.

#DontStopTheFlames was supported by Creative Scotland and British Council, facilitated by the Scottish Government. #DontStopTheFlames was implemented by PLAY ART! SENDAI for the Sendai Cultural Programme 2020 and was co-sponsored by Sendai Cultural Foundation and Sendai City.

Our Scottish and Japanese Flames have been getting creative for a digital collaboration. From this collaboration, a series of three short films have been produced.

We’re going into our seventh week of lockdown here in the UK, meaning the digital collaboration taking place between our Scottish and Japanese Flames launched seven weeks ago. At the moment, things can still feel a bit scary, especially when we think too heavily about what the future holds. But, even in difficult times, our Flames have continued to burn brightly and have managed to share some light in this unknown, dark place.

Some of our Flames are missing the usual hustle and bustle of a pre-Covid weekday; some of them are enjoying a new, quieter routine; and, for some, their typical daily routine has barely changed. Some of our Flames have had to use technology in new ways, and all of our Flames have had to think outside the box! And, as a result of our Flames’ enthusiasm, creativity and dedication, we have been able to create three short films over this short space of time.

We previously caught up with Anne, Betty and Kate,who shared their initial thoughts about the digital collaboration and gave us an insight into what life is like for them at the moment.  This week, we caught up with Tom, John and Annette to chat about their experiences with the digital collaboration, how lockdown has affected their typical routine, and discuss the joy (and challenges) of the creative process.

Tom

When I first heard that we were going to be using technology in this way, I was quite at ease with the prospect. This is partly because I have been using computers for many years and partly because there was a sharp move towards keeping in touch electronically by quite a few of the groups I’m associated with. By the time Tricky Hat got in touch, I was an experienced Zoomer!

I like how the digital collaboration has given me a chance to be creative in the most mundane of circumstances – my own home. Plus, it’s great to be in (virtual) touch with fellow Flames. For me, this collaboration has been consistent with the usual creative process. There is a sense of both excitement and nervousness whenever the tasks are published. Then, there is a period of frantic brainstorming (with but one brain!) before the potential pitfalls of how to present the strange ideas you have come up with. Plus, there’s the technical and practical challenges, a certain amount of disappointment that things don’t work out, and elation for those that did. A challenge for me has been operating a camera solo when you’re the subject in shot – it can involve some whacky, Heath-Robinsonish paraphernalia. I’ve also learned that my capacity for self-delusion is quite high. Seeing how you appear to others on screen can be deflating.

A normal day for me at the moment involves a very leisurely morning followed by some music, writing, housework, walking, cooking, eating, watching TV, and skyping with a dear friend before bed. I’ve been enjoying watching National Theatre past productions. “One Man, Two Guv’ners” (fun), “Jane Eyre”, “Treasure Island” (superb), and, most recently, “Twelfth Night” (a jolly romp). I’m most looking forward to watching “Frankenstein” with Jonny Lee Miller and Benedict Cumberbatch when it comes out later this week.

When I first watched HOME,I thought it was thought-provoking, slightly disjointed and passionate. It’s a typical Flames production only on screen instead of on stage.

John

When I first heard that this digital collaboration was taking place, I was quite excited by it. I was fairly familiar with some of the things, such as using Zoom and filming on my iPad. I quite like using technology and have no fears about it, so I immediately thought it was a good idea.

I like having a Facebook page where The Flames can share fun things as well as ideas. This was supposed to be my second Flames performance, having done one previously, so it’s good to get to know the other Flames a bit better. It’s also good seeing what other people come up with because you can get a bit set in your ways if you’re used to working in this way and getting inspiration from others can give you a fresh approach. Plus, the tasks get by the Tricky Hat team have been really fun, I loved the task where we all had to dress up. Through doing this, I’ve learned that The Flames have a fantastic sense of humour. We’ve got Bernard the Imaginary Horse, and everyone’s posting stories to do with him! I’ve also thought a lot about how technology can be used in theatre. This situation has opened up a lot of things and really made me think outside the box – it makes you improvise and think more about how you can use the tools you have at your disposal.

I always find working with other people and creating something an exciting process. I’m always up for a new project and love the initial excitement, brainstorming and working that comes with it. My biggest lesson at art school was to always put yourself creatively at risk, as that’s often when you’ll do your best work. This has helped me to maintain that excitement for new projects. But, the main challenges for me are trying to be less self-judgemental and trying to think outside the box more. I’ve done stuff and thought “that’s rubbish – I can do better than that so why am I not doing better than that?” I’m a trained visual artist and I’m trained in performing, too, so I think this is the kind of stuff I should be doing better in. But, it has helped being able to see other Flames’ ideas. Also, when isolation began, there was a big flurry of creative things to do online. I didn’t jump headfirst into everything that interested me, I only got involved in some select things, but I did feel a bit overloaded and normally I’m a bit more organised with such things. I’m also the main carer for my daughter and I tutor students as well. It’s definitely been challenging juggling these things.

My typical routine involves getting up early (I’m a morning person), listening to the radio, then cleaning door handles and other things because I have staff coming in the house for my daughter. Then, I’ll grab something to eat, plan my day and work until around midday on the computer. After I’ve stopped for lunch, I might have a nap, do some reading and then I’ll have dinner with my daughter and just relax for the evening. During lockdown I’ve loved listening to music. I usually stick on classical music, but this morning I listened to “Beach Boys – Pet Sounds.” I’ve also been listening to the radio. I quite like the crime series ones, like Paul Temple and Agatha Christie. They last a week and they’re quite fun. I’ve also been watching Better Call Saul on Netflix and I recently watched all of Sex Education, I thought that was brilliant and beautifully handled.

I’m almost quite enjoying lockdown and don’t find myself missing much. I’m finding it a useful way of working and haven’t felt a great loss. I do miss popping out to the shops for a wee break – shopping is not an enjoyable experience now. I also miss going for walks by the sea and going for an overnight stay at different places in Scotland (I’m a member of the Scottish Youth Hostel). I also miss good seafood restaurants and Chinese restaurants because I could never cook those things at home as well as they do!

I thought HOME was really good! I thought that the way it was put together was really witty and clever, and really enjoyable to watch. I had previously made a short film of me in the garden, which I submitted for HOME. Most of the time, you put stuff in and a lot of it doesn’t get selected, but I’m used to getting stuff edited so it doesn’t bother me. But, when I watched HOME and I saw the film that I submitted was in it, I thought: “They’ve put in too much of this!”

Annette

What I love about the digital collaboration is the exact same as what I love about all Flames things: how Fiona and the team put it all together. I must admit I’m a bit of a procrastinator. I tend to put things off and wait until the final day or night before the deadline, dreading the thought of doing the tasks for whatever reason. Then, when I start working on the tasks, I love it. I’m really enjoying seeing everyone’s input. I also enjoy the Zoom sessions – as much as I dread it, I also thoroughly enjoy it. Since this collaboration has started, I’ve gotten to grips with Zoom and I’m a Zoom master now. That’s my superpower!

My typical routine at the minute starts with getting up and putting on the outfit that I’ve been alternating between every two days. There’s six and a half (my daughter has a baby on the way) quarantining here. So, I usually do a bit of housework, play with my grandson, eat breakfast, do some yoga, get out on my bike, do some gardening… Then, I’ll stick on the TV and watch some Covid news. After, we’ll have a bit more play, head to the garden, tidy up, eat, stick on a box set and chill. During this time, I’ve been enjoying watching Code 404 and listening to David Bowie music, and (not enjoying) reading Covid news.

I don’t really know what I’ll do as soon as lockdown is over. I’ll maybe go back on my medication. I came off my sertraline for my OCD a week into lockdown and have been totally fine. In all honesty, I’m a bit concerned about the getting back to ‘normal’ with regards to work, expectations, and attempting to stretch myself in a hundred different directions. I think I’ll just go to see my wee auntie Anna who’s been isolating alone and give her a hug – she’s 84 and my late mum’s identical twin sister. Also, I think I’ll just go to Pret for a coffee and baguette with my daughters, it’s the simple pleasures that matter!

I loved watching HOME, I thought it was beautifully edited and it was lovely to see all the fellow Flames glowing!

It just goes to show you that not even a pandemic can stop our Flames! It’s wonderful to see how all of them have teamed up and gotten creative, even in these circumstances. A humungous thank you to Tom, John and Annette for having a chat with us and sharing exactly what life has been life for them these past seven weeks. Feel free to follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up to date with what our Flames have been getting up to!

Our second short film, STAYING IN, is now available to watch on Vimeo. This short film explores the ways in which our Flames connect with others whilst staying in the house and reflects upon the limbo they have found themselves in.

Our Scottish and Japanese Flames are using technology in new ways as part of a digital collaboration. From this collaboration, a series of three short films will be produced.

The majority of us are finding ourselves using technology more than ever at the moment – and it is proving to be a vital resource. Video calling and messenger apps are helping us stay connected to the important people in our lives during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. Following the cancellation of our performances, we decided that a digital collaborationwould allow us to keep our Scottish and Japanese Flames connected and we felt this would enable us to keep that momentum burning until our Flames are able to light up the stage again. Our digital collaboration uses the same processes that are followed in Flames Guerrilla sessions, with The Flames sharing their responses to tasks and questions set by the Tricky Hat core team. The only differences are that their responses are now shared digitally instead of in person, and a series of three short films are being produced instead of a live performance.

However, changing the landscape that you operate within can be quite the challenge! Last week we caught up with Director, Fiona Miller,to learn more about where the idea for the collaboration came from and to discover what her hopes for this project are. This week, we’ve had a chat with a few of our Flames – Anne, Betty and Kate – to find out how they’re feeling about collaborating in this way, what their thoughts are on using technology like this, and how this has affected their typical daily routine. We hope their ‘can do’ attitude and creativity will inspire you as much as it has inspired us!

Anne

My initial thoughts about this collaboration were that it sounded like an exciting, innovative idea! Plus, it seemed like a good opportunity to force me to learn how to use some of the interesting technology that’s available.

On the whole, I think this collaboration is great: it’s very interesting and, at times, thought-provoking. Through this collaboration, I’ve learned how to use new technology to connect with the other Flames. With Ondine’s help and advice, I’ve managed to join the Facebook group set up for us Flames.  I’ve also learned how to download and use Zoom and Cisco Webex, which allows me to do online yoga and Pilates classes and to take part in a Wednesday night choir rehearsal. Using technology like this is exciting, because I am now in touch with so many people and have access to a range of different images!

Trying out new technology has been challenging at points. I’ve had some issues with setting up Facebook on my phone and uploading images. I used to use my laptop just for emails and my phone just for texts and calls, so I’m trying to build up my technical knowledge.

My usual daily routine now involves an online exercise class – either yoga or Pilates in the morning. Then, I usually go out for a walk and food shopping in the afternoon.  In the evening, I’m on WhatsApp or Zoom to catch up with people virtually. My typical lockdown outfit is usually trousers and a top – it’s good to get dressed and out of your PJs and dressing gown!

Betty

When I first heard that this collaboration was taking place, I thought that it would be a challenge to film myself. I struggle with taking selfies and I find it hard to know where to look. I was also concerned that I would have no ideas or that the ideas I came up with wouldn’t be what Fiona and the team wanted.

There have been loads of physical, mental and emotional challenges since the collaboration has begun, but that is probably to with personal circumstances and the present situation with Covid-19. Through this collaboration, I’ve found that The Flames are incredibly supportive of each other, on the group chat and privately, and I have learned that we’re all struggling in some way. It has also shown me that I can use my time well or not, but that it doesn’t actually matter.

Now that we’ve gotten into the swing of things, I’m enjoying using the Facebook group. It’s great seeing what other folk are thinking, being able to try out ideas and having a laugh! I’ve also discovered some of the extras in Google Photos. Sending my ideas to the Tricky Hat team has been interesting. I’ve been coming up with different ways of conveying my ideas and taking new approaches when using my imagination and capturing my thoughts. What excites me about this collaboration is the same thing that excites me about our performances with The Flames: being able to throw ideas up into the air for Fiona to catch and make sense of them! 

To keep a routine, I always take the time to make and eat breakfast at the table and I go to bed at roughly the same time every night. Everything else is free flow – much the same as usual! And my standard lockdown outfit has been a big sloppy comfy cardigan over whatever I am wearing.

Kate

When the lockdown happened and our rehearsals came to an abrupt halt, it all felt a bit sad and unfinished, so I was delighted when Tricky Hat found a way of keeping us all engaged and connected. I wasn’t sure how it was going to work, but I had faith that the team would pull it all together in the way that they always have done. Now that we’ve gotten stuck into the digital collaboration, I’m amazed at all the creativity within the group. I love how varied and interesting the responses are, and how all the different personalities shine through!

Apart from the anxiety of having no ideas, the main tests have been technical, but I think I’m starting to overcome those. I am naturally quite an introvert, so some might say I have been training for this all my life! That said, it’s not been without its challenges.

I live with my husband and my son in a two-bed flat in Glasgow. My son has cystic fibrosis, so he falls into the extremely vulnerable category. As a result, we have had to shield completely as a family. We can’t risk bringing anything into the house which might infect him. This has additional challenges, as my son also has Down’s Syndrome and so lacks some of the resources which can make isolation a bit more bearable. We’ve tried to make things easier for him by creating a bit of structure in the day, with a combination of exercise, baking, board games and film nights. We also tried to link him up to friends and colleagues through Zoom and WhatsApp.

To keep myself sane, I’ve been trying to improve my Spanish, practice mindfulness and follow some dancing and yoga videos on YouTube. I keep connected with friends and family through WhatsApp, Zoom, email and Facebook. Thank goodness for modern technology – the introvert’s friend!

I’ve also learned more about technology as a result of this collaboration. I’ve learned how to post a link to a video, which – for a woman of limited technical capability – is a minor achievement! I have also learned how to use Facebook and have joined The Flames’ group, which has been a great source of inspiration, support and laughter. And I have learned that, for all the anxieties mentioned, I really enjoy being set a weekly challenge. It helps me focus, stimulates my imagination and gives a structure to my week.

What I love about this collaboration is that, although we are all isolated within our own homes, we can still come together to create something. It will be fascinating to see what comes out of it, and how the Tricky Hat team will manage to sew it all together into something new and greater than the sum of its parts. I feel that sometimes the greatest creativity comes out of adversity, so I think it’s going to be brilliant.

When it comes to my usual lockdown outfit, anything goes and that’s quite liberating! Spotty top and tartan trousers? Why not! And if something good comes of all this, it might just be the death of ironing as a national sport.  All hail the drip-dry fabric!

Although the present circumstances can be testing, our Flames are doing a brilliant job of adapting to the change and being there for one another. Their enthusiasm towards getting stuck into this collaboration with us and their limitless creativity is what keeps us all going. A massive thank you to Anne, Betty and Kate for sharing with us their initial reactions to the digital collaboration and for giving us an insight into their daily lives at the minute. Feel free to follow us on Facebook,Twitter and Instagramto get to know more about our fantastic Flames and to keep up to date with what they’re all getting up to!

Our first short film, HOME, is also now live on Vimeo!In this video, The Flames in Scotland and Japan will invite you in their home: taking you on a journey and showing you the poetry of their daily lives. It will only be available until Friday 24 April, so make sure to check it out before you miss out!

1. Caught up with Director, Fiona Miller
2. Facebook
3. Twitter
4. Instagram
5. Vimeo

Our performance company just for people over the age of 50 -The Flames – unfortunately had to put two of their upcoming performances on hold as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. In response to this, we’re launching a digital collaboration on Monday 20th April, between Scotland and Japan, to keep older people connected and creative whilst self-isolating. Whilst cooped up in their homes, our Flames are each writing a diary all about what life is like for them at this moment in time. Through sharing their thoughts, feelings and stories about self-isolation, and capturing their experience by taking photos and videos, we are confident that our Flames’ community spirit will keep burning brightly in Scotland and in Japan. We will collate their stories and create three short films. The first of these short films is going live on Monday 20th April 2020 at 10am GMT / 6pm JST.

We caught up with Director, Fiona Miller, to find out her initial thoughts about this new and exciting digital collaboration.

What gave you the idea to do this with the Flames?

We were, understandably, so disappointed about cancelling the show. We were also disappointed about cancelling the sessions we do to make the show, but we felt it was getting too unsafe, even before the government said to socially isolate. It was actually Kim, our Digital Artist, who came up with the idea for a creative digital collaboration. She suggested that using technology in this way can be a positive thing and that it was something that we’d definitely be able to carry out. It also meant that we could keep the Flames connected digitally because, by this point, we had already done a week of devising, and there were plenty of ideas that had come out from that. There was still tonnes of energy and it was really exciting. So, although we were all really disappointed, Kim was going through everything that we could do. She was positive that we could use this as an opportunity to try new things as we have all these people, all these ideas and all this enthusiasm. Plus, we have the technology in which to capture that and the ability to put positive things out into the world about our Flames; allowing us to share their energy and their creative, artistic response to this situation with the community and beyond.

How is everything going so far?

It has been going on for about three weeks now, and it’s going amazing so far. We send out tasks to The Flames and they respond to us. We suggest different ways they can respond to the task and they’ll send us their creative responses back. Someone might send us one sentence by email, someone might send us a couple of photographs, someone else might send us short films. We’ve had 338 creative contributions so far, which gives you an idea of just how passionate our Flames are about this digital collaboration! There are poems, voiceovers, photoshopped bodies in the shape of letters from the alphabet spelling out different words… There’s also Flames collaborating with each other too. It’s amazing! We’re finding that the more that we all get into this process, the more experimentation that takes place, the more we get back from it. Already, we’ve received lots of incredible ideas, images, sounds and moments. In that sense, it’s a very similar process to how we devise our live shows. It can be challenging to get into the swing of things via a screen. For me, the challenge is how I respond to things without having a person standing in front of me. I can’t make anything on my own, unless there’s people in front of me. But, because we have this technology, we can do that. We work with Kim, our Digital Artist. There is also Aya, our Choreographer, who has been giving tasks and we have been getting responses back from that. Also, Mick, our Composer, has been making music based on some of the responses we have received. We’re getting the chance to use other music that he has composed, too. In the Lyth residency, he was inspired by that landscape and he created a piece of music which we are using as part of this digital installation. We’re all getting really inspired by the material that is coming to us, and this momentum is exactly the way we work in sessions.

Has this changed your daily routine?

Yeah, now I have all my meetings from the couch! At the moment, I’m on a screen way more than I normally would be. I don’t interact with as many people at once as I usually do either – I tend to interact with lots of people at the one time. The good thing about this is that it makes you rethink what you normally do and adapt it. I’m finding myself reflecting on my typical actions and other things in my life that I usually do without giving them a second thought. In times like this, you need to have a bit more reflection about your own practice, really, and have a think about how you’re going to adapt what you usually do to this new situation. Adapting what we would normally do to fit with these new confines is a creative process in itself. All of these things that I am now doing, I would be doing anyway – I’m just doing them within a different context.

That being said, what we’re doing with The Flames doesn’t feel artificial. There are some challenges with using technology and it does take a bit longer to get the material coming to us, but, at the end of the day, it doesn’t change the essence of what Tricky Hat does. I think this is fantastic, especially considering the circumstances. We’re not trying to make workshops and have everyone on their computers at once. Also, we’re not trying to simply recreate everything that we had originally planned with the only difference being a screen separating all of us. All we’re doing is following a different process to achieve the same end result. We’re not only using this technology because we’re not allowed to be in the same room as each other: we’re completely embracing it and all the opportunities and challenges that come with it. We’re asking people to use technology in a way that they have probably never done before. By embracing the technology that we have available to us, we can reflect on how we can use it on both an individual and a collective basis to say something artistically about the situation we have found ourselves in.

What’s your favourite stay at home outfit?

It’s actually really interesting, because I change my outfit quite a lot at the minute! So, I’ve got something decent on right now because I’m speaking with people online. Later on, I’ll get changed into my cycling gear and go out for a cycle. Then, depending what day it is, I will get changed into my yoga gear to do my Zoom yoga class! I find myself changing my clothes more than I normally would, bizarrely!

What excites you about creating the films?

I’m just excited to get them out! I can’t wait for the films to go online. I think it will be a huge relief for all of us to create something and get it out there for people to see because we have missed out on a major performance. At the moment, it feels like we have all these things to say and we just don’t know where to put them! I think that, once we’ve pieced together all the elements from The Flames and we have published the first film, it’ll get really exciting. I’m looking forward to all of us making something together and experiencing the achievement that comes with that. The responses we get from this will inform the second film, so it’ll be a big moment for us in this creative process. I feel like we have now reached that moment where, after spending a couple of weeks trying to suss out how everyone is feeling collectively and thinking about how we can capture that feeling, we’ve found out what the first film is going to be and now we’re on a roll with it. This is what the devising process is, really. I’m so excited for the first film to go online!

What do you hope to have achieved with The Flames once things go back to normal?

The end goal is that we burst out the other end of this and make some amazing, live, multimedia theatre based on everything that is going on. This whole experience is going to take us to a different place in our thinking. When we move forward, after this stage of it has passed, we’ll be thinking about things in a different way. We’re going to be thinking differently about the quality of our interactions with people – how we interact with people when we are in the same space as them might change, too. I’m excited to see how we will use space and how we will physically connect with people after this period of isolation is over. I’m confident that that is going to make really interesting live theatre. We won’t be mentioning the coronavirus or anything like that, because everyone knows enough about it. I just want to think about where we are now, how we settle into that, and what we are going to do next. The same energy to create is there within our Flames because of how we are working with them, and they’ve told us this. I cannot wait to make more live theatre!

Stay tuned for our first short film, which is launching on the Monday 20th April 2020 on Vimeo and shared via our social media channels (Facebook: @trickyhat.com, Twitter @tricky_hat, Instagram: WeAreTrickyHat at 10am GMT / 6pm JST. We’d love for everyone to watch it together as it goes live. Why don’t you start your Monday morning off right by grabbing a cuppa and a bite to eat for breakfast and heading over to our event page to watch the short film? We are already so excited to hear what you think of it!

18/03/2020

“We will rise from the ashes once this is over and our flames will burn twice as brightly!”

…Is the answer our Flames give to the outbreak of coronavirus.

In the light of the escalation of people affected in the UK over the weekend, we decided on Monday 16 March to cancel all scheduled rehearsals for Don’t Stop Me Now and to postpone the performance on the 1^stApril @ Tron Theatre. Tron Theatre is also making the difficult decision today to cancel or postpone all scheduled performances, classes and events until further notice.

On Friday 13^thMarch, we have decided with our partner LondonPANDA to postpone 炎:Honō in Sendai in April, as coronavirus cases rise in both countries.

We work with older people, some of which have got pre-existing medical conditions. For this reason, we have been actively keeping ourselves up to date with how the situation evolved, communicated with our participants, partners and board members over the last few weeks. We would like to thank them all for their support, excellent advice and insights in such unpredictable times.

Despite the doom and gloom surrounding us at the moment, The Flames in Scotland and Japan are now an unstoppable force. Over the last 3 years, they have been igniting from all corners of Scotland and lightened the heart of 1,036 audience members. The demand  to be part of 炎:Honō in Sendai is overwhelming: 80 older Japanese people are now on the waiting list. The eagerness from both Scottish and Japanese Flames to genuinely connect and to shout out what it means to be older in the 21^stcentury is heart-warming. And this is what keeps us going.

Currently and unfortunately, being older means self-isolating in one’s home and avoiding physical contact with the outside world. Our creative response to this situation is to launch a virtual collaboration with all Flames taking part in Don’t Stop Me Now. We have asked participants to share their thoughts, feeling and stories about being at home. They have started to document their lives by writing a diary, taking pictures, films and keep their creativity going. We will then collate these stories and create 3 short films that we will share online with The Flames community and the outside world.

We would like to assure the Flames community that we are totally committed to make Don’t Stop Me Now and 炎:Honō happen when it is safe for everyone to take part. We are so committed to continue delivering our programme of short-burst Flames Guerrilla Sessions events and residencies. To keep the fire burning across Scotland and throughout the world. We are not yet in a position to say when and how but we are working very hard to make it happen.

We encourage everybody to be safe, hopeful and creative in these difficult times. And it does look like this is happening already:

“I knew nothing could quench the Flames.”

 “Loving the idea of continuing with our collaboration and creativity online – not the same as being together but anything that allows us to remain connected is brilliant!”

 “We will reignite”

 “Thanks for being creative as always in thinking of ways to help us stay connected.”

 “Hopefully it won’t be too long before we can all light some more stages.”

 “I hope government and funders are understanding and put in the support to help small organisations through. The world needs Tricky Hat!”

 “With you, Fiona and Kim moving us forward – WE WILL SURVIVE!!”

 “Keep well and stay fabulous!”

 “You have lifted my spirits! I’m on it already! This is medicine for the soul!”

With much love to you all.

Tricky Hat

[Image by Eoin Carey]