Co-created play The Bunker at the Gaiety Theatre

As part of the Remembering Together project the Gaiety Theatre in association with Wonder Fools have teamed up to create a Covid Memorial for South Ayrshire. Remembering Together is about creating together, being part of a process to commemorate those who have lost their lives, and those who have experienced loss and change. It is also about recognising and celebrating the ways in which Scottish communities have come together during the most difficult times.

Lead Artists Jack Nurse, Robbie Gordon and a team of freelance artists have been working with local groups from across South Ayrshire to create a production that both reflects on the pandemic and celebrates the value of art and connection in times of crisis.  On April 5th we presented our first sharing of the brand-new  ‘The Bunker” to gather feedback from the community to further advance the work. On June 26th we will present ‘The Bunker’ in its entirety at the Gaiety Theatre.

Lead Artists Jack Nurse & Robbie Gordon said

“We are delighted to be working with the Gaiety, a venue we worked with throughout the pandemic, to reflect on moment in our collective history. The Gaiety really holds a special place in our hearts as artists and is truly one of the best venues in the UK at connecting with its community and co-creating arts with participants and professional artists. It will be a privilege to work with groups across the region and for the work to culminate in such a special venue.”

The Bunker is a compelling new comedy musical reflecting on our diverse experiences of lockdown.  Created in collaboration with the local community, this original production is a jukebox musical with songs we all know and love from artists such as The Clash, Rod Stewart and Dua Lipa, played live by a professional cast and joined onstage by 50 community performers.

The story follows four strangers who gather in a bunker to spend lockdown together. Their disagreements and different worldviews provide plenty of humour whilst their individual stories, all rooted in real conversations with local people in South Ayrshire, explore themes around isolation, grief, and a yearning for connection. The Bunker will be a great night out whilst allowing audiences to reflect on our collective lived experiences during the pandemic

 On June 26th we will present ‘The Bunker’ in its entirety at the Gaiety Theatre. Featuring professional actor musicians, along with a community cast we will bring together the communicate for a night of celebration and remembrance.

This will be a free ticketed event with information on when tickets are available being announced in the coming weeks on the Ayr Gaiety Theatre Website and social media.

Get Involved

We are currently collecting lockdown artifacts in various forms, such as photographs, scanned images, writing, illustrations, and artwork. They will form part of the set for this production creating an artwork that is tapestry of our community's shared history.

Examples of such items may include but are not limited to:

·       A sample menu from a 'Come dine with me" night you hosted for your family

·       Recipe for that sourdough starter that has since become a small ecosystem in your basement

·       A diary entry from the day you had you did your first Joe Wicks workout.

·       Pictures of your crochet masterpieces, or the yarn you bought with the greatest of intentions

·       A drawing of Toby dozing off on your Zoom quiz.... again

Submissions can come in any form and can be submitted by either scanning or taking a photograph and sent to creative.engagement@ayrgaiety.co.uk

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