Vesper Hill presents: Inundated

Inundated is a darkly comic performance piece about facing the risk of flood together. Set in the function room of a pub, the show takes the form of a fictional business network meeting. You, the audience, are invited to play the role of network members, and to join in the discussion. But today's guest has a strange story to tell and an unusual proposal to pitch... so how will you choose to respond?

Inundated is a fiction that tries to be real about the uncertain times that we live in. It tells the stories of real people, invites real conversation and offers a real chance to network. With warmth and humour, the show explores the concept of resilience, and asks how we can bounce forward from setbacks.

Learning Objectives:

• Hear real life examples of the human impact of flooding and extreme weather events on individuals and businesses

• Learn about ARC (the Aire Resilience Company) and their goals to build long-term climate resilience across the Aire Valley

• Consider sustainable business models and how businesses including the insurance sector can help to deliver natural flood management

• Experience an alternative, arts-based method of public engagement around challenging issues

Performed by Milo Harries and Steve Scott-Bottoms
Written by Steve Scott-Bottoms
Directed by Si Brewis

More about our performers:

Steve Scott-Bottoms is a theatre-maker, facilitator, and storyteller, and co-founder of the social enterprise Vesper Hill (https://vesperhill.org/). As Professor of Contemporary Theatre and Performance at the University of Manchester, he has a longstanding research interest in exploring community and stakeholder engagement with water, flood and climate risk issues. IIL members might recall Steve's one-man show Too Much of Water, which told the story of Shipley residents impacted by the Boxing Day flood of 2015.

Milo Harries is a researcher and performer who specialises in dialogue as a mode of exploration and communication. Having studied at the University of Cambridge and the Royal College of Music, he is currently a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Manchester, studying climate resilience narratives in the catchment of the River Aire. Milo is also an opera singer and coach who has worked at the Royal Opera House, Glyndebourne, Waterperry Opera Festival, and Opera North.

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