Night Classes and the Beautiful Mess of Interdependence

Credit: Von Fox Promotions

Go behind-the-scenes of Unfolding Theatre's latest show, Night Classes, as co-writer Lisette Auton shares her raw reflections on the beauty of interdependence and the challenges of asking for help.

I'm struggling to write this blog post. It means admitting that the thing that Becci and I have written about, that is a massive part of my identity and life, the thing that is an absolute necessity for my survival, well, I'm still a bit (lot) rubbish at it. 

Interdependence. Mutual aid. Giving and receiving help. 

The only way I, as a disabled person, can achieve independence, is by being interdependent. By asking for and receiving help. And it's this back and forth, between independence and interdependence, working out how to do this, that Night Classes tackles so beautifully. All while placing access and the audience experience at its heart. Well, of course it would, it's Unfolding Theatre after all. 

I'm rubbish at asking for help. I'm getting better, with some people now it's innate, easy, with others? It's really, really hard. But this takes time, trust, care. It does grow. I've been thinking about my relationship with my fabulous co-writer Becci Sharrock. We'd worked together for New Writing North when she was the producer on a school project I was a writer on. I liked her immediately: no nonsense, funny, kind, really knows her stuff, says it like it is, makes a great sandwich. She asked me to write with her on The Secret Garden, an incredible theatre project she masterminded (told you she was good). Writing together requires honesty, kindness, ego and lack of. Being vulnerable. When we had the chance to write together again we had more of a shorthand. I'd got better at saying what I needed, Becci was a new mum and had a whole new person to take care of. I was in the last R&D more, Becci had just had a baby. She covered the first week of rehearsals because I was on tour. We sent messages back and forth ('I've had no sleep, I might not get much done today.' 'Don't do anything, I've got it!'). We wrote. We cared. We listened. And somehow, in spite of, despite of, all the care and consideration and back and forth and asking for help and receiving help and getting muddled in a draft and me never being able to format successfully, there is a script.

There is a friendship.

There is messy interdependence. 

Night Classes teaches us that it takes practice. I'm still practicing. And that's really okay.

Night Classes will premiere at ARC Stockton on Wednesday 20th March & Thursday 21st March 2024. Book your Pay as You Want tickets here.

Credit - Von Fox Promotions