Take On Me

A woman enters the changing room for the first time in decades.
A lifeguard twiddles his thumbs as he dreams of being a real hero.
A crammed aerobics class slides into slow motion; their thoughts tumbling out as they watch their bodies in the unforgiving mirror that surrounds them.

TAKE ON ME is a show taking place after hours in leisure centres across the UK. Set in the 1980s world of headbands and leg warmers, it follows a lonely woman coming to the gym for the first time and a lifeguard who has never saved anyone.

Live musicians belt out classic 80’s hits including I Wanna Dance with Somebody and Flashdance, and lead you through the changing rooms, gym, an aerobics class and finally the pool. You are a fly on the wall for one extraordinary day in these people’s lives, as characters from 80’s films appear out of nowhere to change the course of fate.

A guest cast of local people play various parts including the Karate Kid, the centre receptionist and pool spectators who suddenly break into a rendition of Holding Out for a Hero. You’ll never look at your leisure centre in quite the same way again!

TAKE ON ME began life after Terry visited a 1980's built leisure centre in Barking that was being closed down and demolished. We became interested in this very democratic space that invited every part of the local community through the doors - from babies swimming for the first time to older people who've been ordered by their GPs to do some exercise to gym buffs and aqua aerobics groups. These spaces are melting pots of people getting their heart rates going, striving for 'better' versions of themselves, to look better, to feel better.

Harlow Playhouse commissioned our Research & Development period, during which time we spent full days in two different leisure centres in Harlow. Writer Andrew Muir, Associate Arist Anna Woolhouse and theatre-maker Rachel Mars collaborated alongside musicians Stu Barter and Áine O'Dwyer. We chatted with staff members about why they think people come to leisure centres, we spoke with weight-lifters and young mums taking part in trampoline fitness classes. We sweated our way through spinning classes, heard stories with the cleaners, danced in squash courts and fell into pools. We met a fascinating man whose introduction to the sports centre's aerobics class helped him to come to terms with his sexuality. The more time we spent soaking up the culture of the leisure centres the more it became clear that these buildings foster communities and offer people the opportunity to connect with people and to make friends as well as help to keep their bodies in better shape. This fact inpsired us to create a production that included people from these communities within the performance, creating roles for different people to take part.

The binary nature of the changing room spaces and the gender make-up of different classes inspired the narrative and provoked us to bring boys into the girls changing roomg and vice-versa. This proves extremely challenging in practically making the show happen. Females rehearsing in a male changing room (and vice versa) proves very tricky. It certainly provoked us to gently challenge these binary spaces and question why our naked bodies are divided in our modern world.

We were delighted to be commissioned to make the full production by Farnham Maltings and Arts Partnership Surrey's 'not for the likes of me' commission in 2016. This commission invited us to re-shape the production for 7 leisure centres across Surrey. The creation process was certainly the most challenging we've ever encountered. It was incredibly rare to have any exclusive access to space within the leisure centres. A fascinating challenge, it also afforded us the opportunity to continue to engage with the communities using the spaces. We had to learn how to best open conversation in a busy gym whilst we worked with non-professional performers to choreograph a sequence on treadmills, and explain to gentlemen having a shower that the woman playing the keytar was rehearsing for this weekend's performance and would he mind if she sang whilst he got dressed...

Our 2018 and 2019 revival of the production is incredibly exciting. It will be our most ambitious project to date - working with thousands of local people around the country to create six different casts following two weeks of residencies. We can't wait to adapt each performance for every community we work with, and every leisure centre we move through.

TAKE ON ME was commissioned by Farnham Maltings and Arts Partnership Surrey, co-commissioned by Harlow Playhouse and funded by Arts Council England.

The 2018-2019 Project is funded by The National Lottery Community Fund, Garfield Weston Foundation and Arts Council England.

Celebration Film

Tour

Cast & Creative Team

Press

Process