Theatre-Rites

Houseworks

for under-fives

Commissioned by the London International Festival of Theatre in 1996 for Out of Lift, their special season of work by and for young people.

Directors	Penny Bernand and Sue Buckmaster
Installation Artist	Stephen Williams
Production Manager	Alison Fellows
Stage Manager	Simon Sturgess
Composer	Ansuman Biswas, Sarah Collins
Performers (Brixton)	Robert Stephenson, Steve Tiplady, Marleen Vermeulen, Carline Evans, Rebecca Hurst, Philippe le Moine
Performers (Belfast)	Sean Myatt, Ashraf Myat, Marleen Vermeulen, Bronwin Herron, Noel McGee, Chris Robinson

Puppetry, performance and installation art for under-fives. Set in an old house in Brixton, where every room was a different world, Houseworks was a ground-breaking piece of theatre for young audiences. The audience was greeted by Ernie, an old man puppet who then welcomed them into his house. Small groups were guided around the building and as the house revealed its secrets the children were engaged in each room by puppets, performers and installations.

Behind each door is a magic world: the upside-down room, where the furniture and other motley objects hang from the ceiling, and the audience helps Ruby Blue, the puppet who lives there, explore. In the string room hundreds of pieces of string hang from the ceiling for children to walk through and play with, while a jungle soundtrack plays. In the soft white room the audience make themselves cosy while a puppet forms itself out of a pillow and interacts with the children. In the dark sparkly star-lit room, the stars swirl around as children try to catch them.  It’s exciting being in the dark. In the blue room a little man takes a shower, puts on his underwater gear and dives into the ocean, swimming amongst the audience. In the last room the children can draw on the walls and Ernie arrives to see the drawings before leading them out of the house.

"The legendary Houseworks, a show that would certainly make my list of desert island theatrical experiences."

The Guardian