I was nervous, the theatre lush and art deco. The collective gather, Catherine and I turn mics on and off. Chairs have been placed, padded, patterned and ready for the post show panel discussion, after we watch Mycelial.
There are co-creators here, those that haven’t yet seen the production, their lives and stories shared back in 2020, now captured in a theatrical piece made for film, Mycelial. A production that’s now touring international and ground-breaking.
Dame Catherine Healy welcomes the audience. I am welcomed onto the stage, present Open Clasp and introduce Mycelial.
The lights dim and the Mycelial lights up the screen, blue, white and pulsating. I am in Aotearoa/New Zealand. The tour has travelled from Derry to Belfast, Dublin and Cork. The north of England, Durham, Stockton and Leeds. Manchester and London. Mycelial has been screened in two women’s prison. Now we are here at the Embassy Theatre, Wellington.
I am sat next to Catherine, along the row there’s a co-creators, others are in the front row. Lynzi Armstrong is seated behind, (please take a moment to read Stigma sex work laws FINAL.pdf). Seats are filled with the Collective’s Board, sex workers and allies.
Characters fill the screen and I wonder if the accents will translate, I try to relax. I have envisaged this moment, looked forward to being here as the world turns on screen and we land in Aotearoa/New Zealand. What it would be like to be on this side of the world.
On screen I can see the audience at Northern Stage, and I know Dame Catherine and Annah Pickering on there, and now we are all here, its surreal. Audiences watching audiences watching the Mycelial unfold.
The world spins on screen and we meet Erana, Jessica and the daughter Molly. Their characters, based on their real life experiences. I’m conscious of those that haven’t seen the production yet, as always I feel anxious about how it lands. They trusted us when they didn’t know the company.
Later I rewind to how this began, the emails and introductions made. I find an email from Catherine, she’s welcoming and helping to set up our time with the Collective, its December 2019. In March 2020 I read another email, there is a worry about sex workers and covid, the pandemic and then the world and borders close.
In August of that year we meet up online as our sun rises and theirs sets. They work collectively to create characters and dialogue. They draw scenes, costumes, bags, contents and maps. The use their senses and write stories. At this point we have no idea if we will ever be back on stage, but we are committed to the project and continue the workshops with groups in Ireland and the North and South of England.
The production is created and filmed infront of a live audience in November 2023 and now we are here. Four years since the workshops and one year since its creation.
Mycelial – the screening finishes, the credits role and then the panel gather. This will be the first time I hear the thoughts/feelings/reflections of the co-creators, plus the audiences response. There is praise for the film, its nuance and respect for sex workers involved. One of the trans women shares she is really happy to see two trans people on screen, their voice and story. They talk about the process, the opportunity to know more about their peers and the connections made with their peers in Ireland and England. There is gratitude for having legislation that decriminalises sex work and solidarity for those living with the threat, danger and violence under the Swedish/Nordic Model – those in England and Scotland, criminalised, unable to be out and proud.
Catherine roams the audience to gather their thoughts. Theatre and Art is celebrated as a means to make change.
Later in the bar, the young ones share how much they welcomed characters who were neurodivergent, as many in the industry are. Another from Spain shares her ambition to have it screen there (the need for subtitles if this was so). We talk to a film maker, her thoughts on how to distribute, the challenges and then we swap emails, contacts.
Mycelial was extremely hard to make but feels one of the most important, and successful productions to date. Together we are on that bridge, shouting into a future that we hope is better, their voices will be heard for generations to come.
Next stop Auckland.
Catrina
