As part of our performance processes I walked down to the river near my house. I took my friends to the river, and I took my dog Rowan. I threw stones into the river for Rowan. I listened to the river and moved with the river. I used the sounds of the river to help me choose the moves I made with the river. Later I used these sounds and these movements in my part of the not panicky performance. I also worked in the performance with water and stones from the river, which I brought on to the stage.
not panicky is a small collective of neurodivergent performers who formed during COVID-19 as part of an ecological performance practice as research project led by Rachel Clive at the University of Glasgow. During the first lockdown the collective worked together outside, witnessing each other’s connections with the rivers and landscapes we live with, sharing stories and exploring strategies for managing anxiety, nurturing positive relationship with both human and nonhuman and experimenting with adaptive performance processes in the time of a global pandemic.