Vamos Theatre has been chosen as a Culture in Quarantine commission, beating off competition from more than 1600 applications. Culture in Quarantine was launched by Jonty Claypole, director of BBC Arts back in March and BBC Arts and Arts Council England have now announced the new commissions, awarded to a range of artists to produce new works in creative media - video, audio and interactive – during this time of lockdown.

In total, 25 projects have been selected from across England. These pieces will be exhibited through broadcast slots across BBC Radio 3 and BBC TV, through podcasts on BBC Sounds, and through the BBC Arts website continuing with the Culture in Quarantine mission to bring the arts to UK homes despite arts venue closures, social distancing, and UK-wide lockdowns.

Vamos Theatre’s submission is based around the Ryan in Isolation shorts we’ve been posting on social media during the last few weeks, and our success means we’re able to expand the artistic concept to create 21 film shorts.

How Hard is Waving? is the story of Ryan, alone in lockdown and doing his best to support his quirky, extended family through video link alone – not to mention keeping his own mental health on track. Playful, comic, and poignant, these non-verbal shorts take us on a journey through four weeks of daily online meet-ups…can Ryan keep Gran happy? Will Dad come a cropper with his DIY? And does Ryan stand a chance with Katie, Gran’s carer

Alongside Rachael Savage (director and performer), the cast is made up of Vamos Theatre Associate Artists, Alan Riley and James Greaves, with Rosa Savage making her professional debut for the company. Norah the dog also takes part, playing herself. Guided remotely by  film maker and editor Dan Hill, all the cast have been performing at home and filming their own footage, which has been a steep but fascinating learning curve for everyone. All episodes will be completely wordless, with composition by Vamos Theatre Associate Artist, Janie Armour.

Rachael commented, ‘We’re delighted and amazed to have receive this commission. It is an incredibly exciting opportunity for us, allowing us to try out full mask in a completely different medium and to keep making work whilst theatres are closed and touring impossible. The timescale is fast and the challenges are many, but we intend to make the most of this chance to show the very best of full mask theatre to a wider audience.”

Vamos Theatre’s Culture in Quarantine project is being made with support from The Space, a digital agency and production company helping to promote wider engagement across the arts and cultural sector, and Battersea Arts Centre. The shorts will be broadcast at a future date, which will be confirmed soon...so we’ll let you know when we know. Who’d have thought you’d get a chance to see Vamos Theatre on the TV? We can’t wait to hear what you think!