This week, The Performance Ensemble have been working in the gardens and lounges of care homes across Leeds, sharing our performance of Bloomin’ in the Garden with residents and care teams.

A surreal 30 minutes of laughter, music, dance and storytelling. A joyous celebration of nature and community, the piece is filled with vibrant props, giant flowers and egg shakers. Residents and care staff responded with incredible enthusiasm, singing, dancing and joining in throughout the performances. Many were moved and expressed strong emotions and gratitude towards the team for bringing them this unique experience. The performances also sparked memories of shows that residents had enjoyed or been involved in throughout their lives, prompting them to share their own stories and experiences with us.

Taking the performance into different care homes brought its own challenges. With every venue came a new room, a different layout, varying audience numbers and, sometimes, limited space. The performers were incredibly adaptable, moulding the piece to fit each environment, maintaining their energy and performance quality. When the weather allowed, we took performances outdoors, opportunity to further celebrate nature and the outdoors, which was appreciated by both the cast and audiences.

On Saturday, we performed Bloomin’ in the Garden twice at the bandstand in Roundhay Park. It was a bright, sunny day and audiences of all ages gathered around the bandstand, with families, children, adults, older people and even dogs stopping to watch.

The performance was once again met with enthusiasm. It sparked laughter and strong emotions across generations, with audience members keen to find out more about the company and to share their thanks with the performers.

After eight performances, we packed our props and set away into our cars one final time. We left feeling incredibly grateful to all audience members, who welcomed us, joined in, and smiled with us throughout the week.

Photographs – Zoe Martin