Brainstorm
(performer / maker / assistant director)

Created by Ned Glasier, Emily Lim and Company Three
January 2015 - April 2016 | Park Theatre, National Theatre & BBC iPlayer

Brainstorm is a play about the teenage brain. It teaches you about the hyperactive limbic system which lives off adrenaline, and the undeveloped prefrontal cortex, which means teenagers have reason to behave the way they do. Thirteen teenagers invite you into their brains to witness the challenges, excitement and frustration teenagers experience. Brainstorm began as a scratch at Platform in 2013 and then was at National Theatre twice. It is now a blueprint and has adaptations in Kenya, Australia, Hong Kong and many more.

Brainstorm is one of the projects I’m most proud of, I feel honoured to be part of the journey it endured and I am privileged to have been involved from the start. It taught me an in-depth process to devised work and how valuable research and development is. As a director, it gave me an insight into what is possible on stage from a live WhatsApp group being projected on a screen, to a live questionnaire with lamps.

Whilst assisting on the BBC iPlayer version I learned the importance of preparation and patience. This was a unique experience for the company and as an assistant, I had to ensure that the cast and directors had everything they needed. As a previous performer I could relate to the actors, assist on line runs and be a shoulder to lean on when it became overwhelming.

The technicalities of Brainstorm were mind-blowing which compelled me to explore more about interactive theatre.

Designer Charlie Damigos | Lighting Jo Town | Sound Elena Pena | Movement Daragh O'Leary | Consultant Neuroscientists Sarah-Jayne Blakemore & Kate Mills