LAY DOWN YOUR BURDENS
Programme Notes

Good evening, everyone!

First of all, thank you so much for joining us tonight. It’s truly incredible to be here with you as we kick off the tour of Lay Down Your Burdens. This show means the world to us, and to see you all here, ready to embark on this experience with us, fills my heart with so much joy and gratitude.

I want to take a moment to thank our wonderful tour venues for welcoming us with open arms. Without the support and space provided by such incredible places, bringing our vision to life wouldn’t be possible, so thank you for hosting us and for being such an essential part of this journey. A special thank you to Rory Davies and the Harlow Playhouse team for supporting us on this journey and to Toni Racklin at the Barbican for their trust and support.

This tour is a special one for us because it’s not just about sharing the work; it’s about sharing the care and community at the heart of this performance. Lay Down Your Burdens is a reflection on what it means to support each other, to hold space for one another’s pain, and to come together through vulnerability. It’s a celebration of the strength found in community and the healing that happens when we lean on each other. I hope that by the end of this evening, you’ll feel the power of those connections.

Last year Lay Down Your Burdens was nominated for an Olivier Award! This nomination is not just a recognition of the work on stage, but a testament to the incredible team, the artists, and the community that made this show possible. We are so humbled and grateful for this honor, and we carry that gratitude with us as we travel to each city on this tour.

Thank you again for being here, for supporting the arts, and for being part of something that is bigger than just us on stage. We are so excited to share this with you, and we hope tonight’s performance leaves you feeling seen, heard, and connected.

Enjoy the show, and let’s create something unforgettable together.

Rhiannon Faith

Audience care
At the heart of Lay Down Your Burdens is the understanding that we all carry baggage with us; during the evening we will learn about the characters’ burdens. These stories are based on real life testimonials and lived experiences. Click here for some extra detail about the themes of the show so that you can be prepared along with some support resources.

Audience participation
At points during the performance, audience members will be invited to participate. This is completely voluntary, and we ask you to only share what you’re comfortable with. These words will be recorded as part of the show and these recordings may be used in the future for Rhiannon Faith Company’s work. If you would like to know more please speak to a member of staff. If you’d rather not participate that’s totally fine, just grab a sticker from our front of house team, that will help our performers know not to approach you. And if you change your mind during the show and would like to participate, just take off your sticker!

A note about the show
During the run up to our tour, not one but two of our dancers became pregnant, so the performance now has an additional dancer, lovely Marta, to support and interpret some of the dynamic dance moments. Girl power. Rest assured risk assessments have been done in collaboration with the dancers and everything they do has been chosen by them.  We really care about our company members, and supporting parents in the performing arts at Rhiannon Faith Company. The arts should be accessible for all.

TEAM

Rhiannon Faith (she/her) - Artistic Director and Choreographer
Shelley Eva Haden (she/her) - Rehearsal Director and Devising Performer
Marta Beccatini (she/her) - Devising Performer
Dominic Coffey (he/him) - Devising Performer
Sam Ford (he/him) - Devising Performer
Donald Hutera (he/him) - Devising Performer
Finetta Sidgwick (she/her) - Devising Performer
Sara Turner (she/her) - Devising Performer
India Merrett (she/her) - Composer and Devising Musician
Paul Higham (he/him) - Devising Musician and Live Sound Design (2025 onwards)
Lou Cope (she/her) - Dramaturg
Noemi Daboczi (she/her) - Designer
Bethany Gupwell (she/her) - Lighting Designer
Anna Clock (they/them) - Sound Designer and Devising Musician (2023)
Dan Hunt (he/him) - Sound and System Design
John Victor (he/him) - Composer
Joy Griffiths (she/her) - Company Counsellor
Nia Wood (she/her) - Production Manager (2025)
Jack Boissieux (he/him) - Production Manager (2023)
Sean Laing (he/him) - Associate Production Manager (2023)
Lauren Cross (she/her) - Stage Manager
Jon Calvert (he/him) - Technical Stage Manager
Joseph Bryant (he/him) - Production Electrician and Relighter
Fraser Owen (he/him) - Touring Sound Engineer
Jen L Roxburgh (she/her) - Production Electrician
Lucy Woodcock (she/her) - Costume Supervisor
Jay Williamson (he/him) - Production Carpenter
Big Egg Films - Video
Foteini Christofilopoulou (she/her) - Photography
Maddy Morgan (she/her) - RFC Executive Director
Anna Dominian (she/her) - RFC Producer

CREDITS

Lay Down Your Burdens is Co-commissioned by Barbican, London and Harlow Playhouse. With support from Oxford Playhouse, Déda, and South East Dance. Funded using public money from Arts Council England. With thanks to Restoke and the Lay Down Your Burdens Creative Friends.  

ABOUT THE PROJECT

Lay Down Your Burdens was grown out of conversations with communities and developed from the lived experiences of company members. The work was developed in phases of R&D in Stoke-on-Trent, Oxford, Brighton and Harlow, meeting lots of local people and talking about our burdens. At Oxford Playhouse we delivered creative workshops exploring personal experiences of loneliness, the things that are hard to carry, and how we care for one another. The aim was to lighten the load by carrying it collectively.

The final work creates a familiar space (pub) that invites anyone who would like to, to share what they are carrying. It’s a space where they are listened to and where their worries or troubles are held and the gift back is music, poetry, dance; but mostly the real gift is for a moment in time, in the theatre, in our pub, we see one another, and for this moment we are all connected. We are in a time when the heaviness of world actions can feel like they are pulling us apart, so it feels vitals to us to come together to share the weight of another, and know in what we share, we are not alone.

Lay Down Your Burdens premiered at the Barbican, in November 2023, and is touring nationally in 2025.

Lay Down Your Burdens was nominated for a 2024 Olivier Award for ‘Outstanding Achievement in Dance’

and shortlisted for a 2023 One Dance UK Award for ‘Innovation in Dance’.