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Iona live accompanying the show See Saw
See Saw in Performance

SEE SAW 

Sound Designer / Musician 

SUNRISEIona Johnson
00:00 / 01:31

See Saw is a multi sensory circus show designed for and with young people labelled with having complex needs.

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Over the course of a 12 week period, students from Cherry Garden SEN School were brought aboard the project as creative collaborators who steered the vision of the show through a co-creative rehearsal and development period. Weekly workshops were held a Flying Fantastic Circus Studio focusing on each discipline included the show eg costume and  music resulting in a live sharing at FF to invited audiences. 

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See Saw will enter its next stage of development later in the year. 

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The idea of the music is to accompany and punctuate the movement and playfulness of See Saw, reinforcing the energy created on stage, creating an invitation for the young people and companions into the space to be themselves and be immersed into the action. 

 

My process in making the music for See Saw was by directly responding to the action on stage through different instruments, voice and rhythms. Looping (through a loop pedal) is heavily featured in the show with the audience members being offered opportunities to make sound and noise, contributing to shared moments of recognised sound identity and noises played back into the space.

 

Operated live, the music acts as a transporting tool, guiding the audience into each segment of the performance. From being welcomed into the space and stepping into a sling through gentle, twinkly, calming Kalimba to joining in with a bouncing party through layered soulful disco voice, each section gives the audience permission to play in the way most comfortable to them. 

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Creative Team

A ReallyNice production

Performers: Michelle Zahner & Alex Gomar

Director: Natalya Martin

Producer: Kat Pegler

Lighting Designer: Amy Daniels

Sound Designer/Musician: Iona Johnson

Costume Designer: Hazel Mcintosh

Rigging Consultant: Rogene Baebei

Creative Collaborators from Cherry Garden School

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Iona and Natalya teching the show

Live looping during rehearsal & development at Flying Fantastic 

See Saw rehearsals

Mid workshop with students from Cherry Garden School

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