HELD

HELD is a feat of collaboration which was created in 20 different homes across the UK, entirely over zoom calls and recording remotely in home studios. HELD was created between May – September 2020. 

Creative Team
Director, Stephanie Singer
Lead writer, Ashraf Ejjbair Devisors
Anna Pearce
Eileih Muir

Music
Lead composer, Stephanie Singer
Composers, Alice Phelps, Johnny Chung
Strings, Phaedra Ensemble
Arranger Phillip Grannel & Jamie Hamilton
Voice, Ashraf Ejjbair

Music Production
Chris Timpson

Youth Testers
Ajay, Erin, Joseph, Leo,  Luca, Polly, Sapphi and Willow

Illustrations
Maria Medem

Production
Creative Producer, Eleni Kyraciou, Marah Stafford
Executive Producer, Lucy Atkinson

Microsite Developer
Nick Hart

Booklet Design
Smart Banda

Designer
Freyja Sewell

Tastes
Adam Thomason

Scents
Sarah McCartney

When the pandemic hit, we were in the middle of developing a show about community in response to increasing rates of loneliness in the UK. And, to put us into context, we create multisensory experiences that are live – that touch you and envelop you in sensations – and that was no longer possible. How could we adapt our work to reach a socially-distanced world? How could we find a way to touch our audiences even when we couldn’t be near you? Out of this challenge, HELD was born.

The process of composing this audio experience was always holding you in mind, in your homes, and wanting to create a new space for you: a space where your imagination is the main character; a space full of wonder and adventure; where you can lift off and go on a journey. Perhaps, by being in your own homes, not a theatre, there is an inherent intimacy that may allow you to relax into the experience a little more deeply.

Thank you for joining us,

Anna, Ashraf, Eileih and Steph