We’re interested in the very thin line that runs between the pain and comedy of ‘aloneness.’

If you fart in a forest will anyone hear you? What’s it like to feel alone in a room full of people who don’t get who you are? What if the only person you speak to now is the postwoman and she’s never really keen to stay and chat? Would anyone notice if you dyed your hair red or packed up one day and left without a note? What if you’ve actually figured out how to solve the climate crisis but no-one wants to listen? 

Does anyone know what this feels like? Does anybody care? Inspired by telephone conversations recorded by people from our local community, StrikeUp tested ideas for a show that explores what it’s like to navigate the scariest parts of life on our own, and how sometimes, the key to making it through might be realising that we’re not.

Don’t Let Go was born out of a week-long rehearsal workshop, partnering local stories with dynamic physical theatre to bring a tonic of warmth, hope and togetherness for the times we’ve felt most alone.

Conversation participants included single parents, students, carers, refugees and elders who reflected on their experiences through the pandemic. These wonderful fly-on-the-wall conversations have been edited into episodes for our community podcast, In Session: Our Town Locked Down.

StrikeUp are seeking funding support to weave these powerful stories into a bold new play of national resonance. We want Don’t Let Go to hum with multiple voices, accents and experiences, inviting communities across the country to connect with each other, through the very human experience of ‘getting through it on our own.’

View the Don't Let Go gallery below.