FLUX 2022 TOUR
Figuring it out and fitting in; what makes you, you?
12 unique young voices came together on stage, to explore what it means to question your identity in a world that feels determined to put you in a box. Devised and performed by the young people living through this reality right now, our audiences discovered that there is freedom in the flux - and that labels are for bottles, not people.
Flux 2022 was a contemporary theatre show, devised and performed by Mortal Fools Ensemble Young Company - showcasing an original soundtrack, bold set design, and the incredible talent, insights, and lived experiences of young people.
Binary breakers, stereotype smashers, convention clingers, people pleasers, distracted dreamers, ally activists, hopeful homebodies, evolving explorers, GOAT gamers, fashionable friends, Tik-Toking trendsetters, simping stans, radical rebels, the woke and the weird. Universally unique and all welcome here. You are one of us. We see you. Join us?
Flux 2022 was a contemporary theatre show, devised and performed by Mortal Fools Ensemble Young Company - showcasing an original soundtrack, bold set design, and the incredible talent, insights, and lived experiences of young people.
Binary breakers, stereotype smashers, convention clingers, people pleasers, distracted dreamers, ally activists, hopeful homebodies, evolving explorers, GOAT gamers, fashionable friends, Tik-Toking trendsetters, simping stans, radical rebels, the woke and the weird. Universally unique and all welcome here. You are one of us. We see you. Join us?
“Flux gave the audience a window into some of the pressures young people are facing today. It was a brilliant reminder to me of how I felt life was like when I was a teen and a good insight into the pressures my own teens may be feeling with a few helpful pointers on how best to navigate these too.
It was an uplifting and empowering performance that left us feeling positive. The key point is you don't have to have it all figured out. Just be yourself. It also led me and Dee to have a really good chat together on the way home.
Quite often when we go to the theatre, especially when we see a show which is touring the UK, it can feel like we don't see ourselves represented on stage. However, I know with Flux that Dee could recognise themselves through their peers on stage and this made everything so much more relaxed and relatable. I couldn't help but think as we watched Flux that these young people from Ashington were incredibly talented, and brave too.”
- North East Family Fun, Review of Flux 2022 at YMCA Northumberland
The Flux 2022 Tour was a positive and empowering experience, grounded in the reality of life for young people.
In April 2022, we toured to YMCA Northumberland and Gosforth Civic Theatre, with two sell-out performances. These were the first live performances our Ensemble Young Company had done since 2019, as their 2020 tour was cancelled due to the pandemic.
In collaboration with Northumberland Pride and East Bedlington Community Centre, we also hosted a colourful screening of the filmed version of Flux 2022 in October 2022.
We filmed this version working with our friends Von Fox Promotions - so it now exists in digital form. You can find out more about Flux Digital here, and express an interest in gaining access by emailing [email protected]
In April 2022, we toured to YMCA Northumberland and Gosforth Civic Theatre, with two sell-out performances. These were the first live performances our Ensemble Young Company had done since 2019, as their 2020 tour was cancelled due to the pandemic.
In collaboration with Northumberland Pride and East Bedlington Community Centre, we also hosted a colourful screening of the filmed version of Flux 2022 in October 2022.
We filmed this version working with our friends Von Fox Promotions - so it now exists in digital form. You can find out more about Flux Digital here, and express an interest in gaining access by emailing [email protected]
“Flux was a dynamic, funny and well-observed show by our Ensemble Young Company; it raised questions for us all. How do we define who we are? What’s important and how we relate to one another – especially as we emerge from a pandemic? Mortal Fools were thrilled to showcase the talents, ideas and energy of a group of fantastic young people.”
- Kiz Crosbie, CEO and Artistic Director at Mortal Fools
AUDIENCE TESTIMONIALS:
“I think the best theatre work comes from people who haven't been conditioned to follow normal theatrical ideas of what a theatre show should be. That’s what you did. All aspects from set design to music to performance to direction were well done. I think it's an extremely important piece of work for any young person.”
“Our son is autistic, my wife has ADHD, so we are a fully neurodiverse family and often rely on stimming to get through shows, films or other events - and we were all captivated right the way through. Thought it was very well pieced together.”
“The whole performance was amazing. The design of the set and the whole experience. It made me think more about our young people and the struggles they go through. Fantastic performance by all. The young people should be very proud of themselves."
“All aspects of the performance were very high quality - it was amazing to see the calibre of performances the team managed to coax from the kids. It was a great insight into what kids are going through. It bridges the generational gap and reminds us of what it is to be a teenager. Congratulations to all involved, it was wonderful."
“The performance was great, it delivered a powerful message about being a young person, bringing to life the challenges, demands, excitement and angst of emergent adulthood. That the production was co-produced made it all the more meaningful. An interesting story, told well."
“What a fantastic performance! Professional, pertinent and awesome. That the content was envisaged by the young people themselves, the music composed and performed by them also, is simply stunning.”
THE MAKING OF FLUX
Our Ensemble Young Company worked on Flux from Autumn 2021 -Spring 2022.
Our 2021/22 Ensemble Young Company used our I Weigh script from 2018 as their jumping off point, to inspire the devising of a brand-new show, which evolved into Flux.
“Working with Mortal Fools to create Flux has been really exciting - we’ve explored and integrated different art forms into the show and tried out lots of new techniques which has been challenging but rewarding! We made a show that I think was interesting and engaging to all sorts of people: Flux was energetic, mysterious, and above all, brave.”
- Maisie, Flux 2022 & 2023 Cast Member
Flux explored the fluid nature of personal identity and how it evolves and grows when, as a young person, you’re trying to fit in and figure it out at the same time. This piece of professional theatre was the culmination of 8 months of work, with 12 young people from Ashington and Tyne Valley - co-creating with 11 professional artists and theatre-makers.
The show depicted and explored multiple perspectives and stories, with the Ensemble Young Company cast members working up a range of characters including versions of themselves, peers, parents, and teachers.
The show depicted and explored multiple perspectives and stories, with the Ensemble Young Company cast members working up a range of characters including versions of themselves, peers, parents, and teachers.
“I have been a part of Mortal Fools for 5 years now and it has helped me grow! Being in front of a live audience after two years was daunting but exciting. Flux is all about expression and identity which I think was the perfect way for us to return to the stage as it was a strong, relatable and thoughtful show!”
- Mark, Flux 2022 & 2023 Cast Member
MEET THE #FLUX2022 CAST
Themes explored in Flux and during the co-creation processes included:
- Evolution of identity.
- Self-identifying vs how others perceive you.
- Labels and stereotyping.
- What do young people need from the adults in their lives?
- Making life decisions, and the pressure from the enormity of their impact.
- Being worried about what other people think about you.
- Masking and conforming.
- Pressure from society, school, parents, peers, and influencers on growing up.
- Expressing yourself through fashion, music, art, words, actions etc.
- Celebrating individualism.
- Low self-esteem and confidence.
FLUX 2023 TOUR
In November 2022, we started working on a reworked version of the show, to tour in April 2023 as part of our co-creation exchange project to partner venues. This new version, devised by our 2022/23 Ensemble Young Company members, featured new original music, a re-crafted script with evolved and new characters and storylines, and new cast members. This evolution was critical in order to reflect the contributions and lived experiences of new group members.
You can read more about the Flux 2023 Tour here.
You can read more about the Flux 2023 Tour here.
ABOUT MORTAL FOOLS ENSEMBLE YOUNG COMPANY
Ensemble Young Company is our dedicated youth theatre group for people aged 13-19 (School Years 9+). Ensemble members work together over a prolonged time period to devise a new piece of theatre (in this case, Flux), which we then tour to our partners in the Young People’s Co-Creation Exchange Network. Our Ensemble Young Company features young people from both Tyne Valley and Ashington. We welcome new and returning members to join us each year, usually starting in the Autumn.
"To know that the production was completely thought of and designed by young people made the message so much more powerful. It would be so empowering for other young people to see this or be a part of it!”
- Flux audience member
Mortal Fools are the ONLY theatre company in the North East touring youth theatre and co-creating with young people in the way that we do. We treat this work as professional theatre; presenting it in professional theatre venues to paying public audiences. Members also have an opportunity to take part in other small-scale projects throughout the year, as well as work experience opportunities and peer-facilitation roles.