Mind the Gap

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We are delighted to be working with Mind the Gap and the University of Leeds on exploring the fantastic production 'Leave the Light on for Me'. The Mind the Gap Artists and Production Team are aiming to amplify the voices of the learning disabled community in climate change conversations through this piece and the research aims to explore the dynamics around doing this. 
We've had the pleasure of tracking Leave the Light on for Me as it has developed and we've immersed ourselves in the script and the characters! We've carried out focus groups and interviews with those involved as well as observation and participation in rehearsals and community cast workshops, and audience surveys. This has helped us to better understand:
  • How much those involved know about climate change
  • What challenges and opportunities there are to talking about and acting on climate change
  • How theatre can be a tool to explore climate change 
  • Whether Leave the Light on for Me can help to amplify the voices of the learning disabled community in conversations around climate change
OUTPUTS - We are working on an accessible research summary and a toolkit for inclusive activism. For now, though, please enjoy our blog below which outlines our thoughts on how Leave the Light on for Me did a fantastic job of exploring some complex themes around climate change.
If you’d like to know more or hear about how we used creating methods to engage a diverse range of participants in this evaluation feel free to get in touch on [email protected].  

Leave the Light on for Me: Exploring climate change themes in an engaging and accessible way!

Mind the Gap's amazing recent production 'Leave the Light on for Me' has created a fantastic space to explore climate change and amplify the voices of the learning disabled community around the issue. The show explores the lives of sisters Jenny and Maisy, who work hard to keep their carbon footprint under control on a planet which has been badly damaged by climate change. Iris oversees their daily activities and barks out commands from the control centre, and the threat of the Planet Inspectors is constant, but the sisters just can’t resist buying a rather delicious biscuit from the internet …
 
As sustainability researchers, we’ve been absolutely amazed by how brilliantly the show has explored the complexities and layers of difficulties many people face when trying to live sustainably. We showcase a few of our favourites here.
 
The system is against us!

How can we balance constant adverts showing us what we need – and the convenience of same-day delivery services - with trying to live sustainably? It’s a constant tension for those of us who worry about climate change, often prompting feelings of guilt and helplessness, and it’s explored in a tongue-in-cheek way through the show. While carrying out her daily chores, Maisy happens on an advert for the most delicious biscuit she has ever seen. Jenny, wanting to treat her sister, who rarely gets anything nice within their strict carbon budget, orders one. We watch as the sisters receive a huge delivery box and have to tear through layers and layers of packaging for this one small biscuit, which blows their carbon budget in a single hit!
But all is not lost, the sisters are given the chance to pay off their carbon footprint bill by the Planet Inspectors, but only through competing in a series of counterintuitive and, in some cases, purposefully misleading games. The games include components that are specifically designed to trip the sisters up or that are disproportionately difficult, particularly for some disabled people. It’s almost as if the system sets us up for failure!

Inaccessible, incomplete, inconsistent information!

The show highlights how complex, and often inaccessible, information around living sustainably can be, and this is perhaps even more the case for the learning-disabled community. To pay off their carbon bill, one of the sisters’ tasks is to separate their rubbish into recycling and general waste. A simple task you’d think but we quickly realise how complex it is as the show pokes fun at the lack of a nationwide standard for recycling information, how the meaning of the colour of your bin differs from location to location, and how not all recyclable products can actually be recycled through household bins. Packaging information is highlighted as often being unnecessarily difficult to read and understand. All this means that things often end up in the wrong bin and this lack of clarity can lead to unnecessary complications and confusion.

Oh the hypocrisy! 

Hypocrisy is an underpinning theme of the show and highlights how we are often told how to behave by the powers that be who don’t then hold themselves to the same standards. Throughout the performance, we see Iris dictating the actions others must take - until Maisy has had enough and, stripping back her protective cover, reveals an Iris that is knee deep in oil, dressed in money and surrounded by single-use plastic. Throughout the show, we see Iris capitalise on feelings of guilt and personal responsibility, manipulate, and misdirect blame elsewhere and redirect attention away from herself and her much larger negative impacts. It’s a clever way to prompt reflection around the balance between individual responsibility and that of those in power.

“[The show is about] teaching [the audience] but in a fun way, rather than saying ‘You must do this, you must do that’. Making it fun and easy to remember, that’s how I learned by learning fun things.” – JoAnne, MTG Artist

We will not be dictated to!

The theme of lack of agency is a constant presence in the show and, as with other themes, is approached and explored in a very clever and sensitive way. Under Iris’ rule the sisters have little to no agency in their actions and choices, they always have to be prepared for the Planet Inspectors to arrive without warning, and the consequences of a failed inspection could even mean eviction. Iris presents being sustainable as having to ‘do without’. But our heroines, Maisy and Jenny are living an empowered vision of sustainability they have created and identify with. Their sustainable world embodies respect, love and kindness. The show allows those involved to participate in a gentler form of activism that is more accessible, comfortable and encouraging for both performers and audiences. We are with them all the way as they lead the rousing finale protest song ‘we will not be dictated to by the corporation wrecking crew!’ 

“[We did the show like this] so we can inspire other people to have their voices heard rather than being stifled or belittled in their voices and they can be empowered, so we can be an inspiration to others” – Charlotte, MTG Artist

Inspiring change through activist-based performance

It is easy to become disheartened when thinking about the climate emergency, but Mind the Gap have created an uplifting show that puts power back into the hands of the learning-disabled community and is inspiring audiences to make positive changes in their own lives. In contrast to the eco-anxiety climate change can cause, people involved with Leave the Light on for Me said that the performance made them feel positive. In fact, audience members described the experience as making them feel ‘elated’, ‘inspired’, ‘hopeful’, and ‘cheerful’. With a powerful, emotive script and an enthusiastic ensemble, Mind the Gap has shown how activist-based performance can engage audiences nationwide in the climate change conversation.

“It brings a sense of hope and justice that we’re doing this now and this is our mission to get our voices heard” – Howard, MTG Artist

Blog written by Becki Jepson and Jen Dyer

THE PEOPLE WE WORK WITH SAY:

‘Working with Claire and Jen has been inspiring. It feels amazing to be working with people who really are trying to make the world a better place.’
Ruth Trainor, Nifty Associate.