Jumping Puddles is a play directly informed by young women from the North East of England and Liverpool.
From September 2013 Open Clasp Theatre Company worked with groups of young women to inform a play about their lives, which toured the North East and Liverpool in February and March 2015. The play was developed in collaboration with the fantastic Frantic Assembly who worked with us and the young women throughout the project.
Find out about the young people who worked with us to make this resource.
Two sisters at war suddenly find their world turned upside down.
As the autumn nights draw in and the rain falls Grace and Anna find themselves trying to stay afloat as they jump from one puddle of emotion to another. Now the puddle is in danger of becoming a river and Anna fears Grace will be taken by the tide
Jumping Puddles is a funny and moving story about two sisters fast-tracked to adulthood as they discover it’s hard being a girl but harder still when faced with the harsh reality and fragility of life.
During the tour of Jumping Puddles in Spring 2015, it became clear that the play, and accompanying workshops were great ways to tackle the subjects of homophobic bullying and cyberbullying, through the character of Anna, as well as domestic violence, through the character of Grace. We therefore went about creating a free to use resource which could achieve the same aims. This site is for young people and also provides teachers and youth workers with information and workshop activities they can use in classes and groups.
Open Clasp make truthful, risk-taking and unforgettable theatre from a female gaze to inspire new and young audiences. Based in the North East of England and building a national profile, their work is informed by the lived experiences of marginalised women and young women and rooted in the belief that theatre changes lives. Since 1998, the unheard voices of women have been given a platform through collaboration, creating professional, thought-provoking and award-winning theatre. Recent productions include Key Change, The Space Between Us and Swags & Tails. In 2013 Open Clasp were awarded the National Emma Humphrey’s Prize for outstanding contribution in raising awareness of violence against women and children in their work.
“Open Clasp does something which is not only unique, entertaining and engaging but also incredibly important. They tell stories that need to be heard and they allow their audiences to see the world through unexpected eyes.”
Erica Whyman, RSC Deputy Artistic Director & Open Clasp Patron
Frantic Assembly is an internationally renowned theatre company led by co founder and Artistic Director Scott Graham. Celebrated for its accessible and collaborative approach, Frantic Assembly has created award-winning work of breath-taking physical dynamism and emotional eloquence. Frantic Assembly’s devising methodology is recognised throughout the world for liberating creative potential and building confidence in performers and workshop participants of all ages and disciplines. Frantic Assembly worked in collaboration with Open Clasp to provide movement direction for Jumping Puddles. Practitioner Jess Williams delivered physical and devising workshops with the young women to develop the play and Krista Vuori was the Movement Director for the final production.
