Image: (L-R) Nickie Miles-Wildin and Adam Fenton
In partnership with GRAEAE and Theatre by the Lake, DaDaFest recently supported a rehearsed reading of Adam Fenton's play, 'Tuning In' which went down a treat with audiences!
Here’s some things we learned from the event and fascinating panel discussion which included the play’s director, DaDaFest’s own Nickie Miles-Wildin:
Challenging perceptions
Without giving away too many spoilers, it’s safe to say that ‘Tuning In’ is a piece which plays with the audience’s preconceptions. As Miles-Wildin described it, it’s the story of someone trying to ‘make sense of the world, while also challenging the world to make sense of him’. Words including ‘adorable’, ‘innocent’ but also ‘a wrong’un’ all came up in the post-show discussion as possible ways of interpreting the main character, Reagan, a self-conscious musician who we first see covered with unexplained bloodstains.
A solo show… with multiple characters
Though Adam Fenton was the sole performer, Reagan wasn’t the only part he had to play. The central premise of the show revolves around the protagonist having won a mystery date with radio DJ, Cameron – meaning that Fenton had to embody them both. This was primarily achieved through switching voices, which the actor-playwright described as having been fun to work on, both at a surface level but also when considering the ways characters further switched tone within themselves. Reagan speaking to the audience, to himself, to other people all required subtle differences which the team had found it very worthwhile to explore.
Staging for Zoom
The performance took place entirely online, with the enthralling central character talking directly to the audience from his bedroom. It was an intimate set up that went down well with audience members, however the team later revealed that the piece hadn’t originally been conceived of as a digital one. Plans such as having Fenton giving out cups of tea to the audience for example would clearly have to wait until ‘Tuning In’ can be performed in person!
Utilising tech
The need to adapt the piece for Zoom had led to some complex proposals for workarounds – including at one point considering switching between five different camera angles. In the end it was filmed more in the style of a personal vlog, but with occasional pre-recorded audio also playing a key part in bringing the piece to life.
Imagination and spontaneity
After the event, we caught up with Fenton to get his thoughts on the whole process, and clearly it was a valuable and exciting experience:
"I had an amazing time working on the R&D for 'Tuning In'. This was the first time that the piece had been performed in front of people for over a year(!) so it was wonderful to get the chance to put it in front of people and see how it all works. The process of working with Nickie and Josh moved the piece into new exciting places and really made us investigate the potential of what a piece fuelled by imagination and spontaneity could look like. We were also given the space to invest in accessible practice, and discovering what that means for this piece."
We look forward to seeing what's next for this innovative writer-performer, and you can stay up to date on future DaDaFest-supported artists and activities by signing up to our newsletter.
Are you interested in a career in theatre yourself? Apply now to DaDaFest x NSDF if you're a Deaf, disabled or neurodivergent creative, aged 16-26 in the North West or West Yorkshire!
Don't miss this opportunity to develop your own work with support from Nickie Miles-Wildin, and showcase it at NSDF's next festival. Deadline 6 July 2021 at 5pm:
https://www.dadafest.co.uk/article/x-nsdf