12 Last Songs

18 March 2023 | Maillon, Strasbourg

Nice to meet you. What do you do?

12 Last Songs is about work.

Making a living. Finding your passion. Watching the clock.

This extraordinary new durational performance piece constructs a fleeting portrait of society. There are no actors. It’s a live exhibition of people, an epic performance that casts the steady rhythms of life on a carnival scale.

Over the course of a day, workers will do shifts. A bricklayer might build a wall, a hairdresser might cut someone’s hair, a chef might prepare a meal…

Directed by Richard Gregory, 12 Last Songs premiered with Transform 21-22 at Leeds Playhouse in Autumn 2021.

Upcoming performances

18 March 2023, 12 noon – 12 midnight | Maillon, Strasbourg

1 April 2023, 12 noon – 12 midnight | Cambridge Festival, Cambridge

Past performances

24 September 2022, 12 noon – 12 midnight | HOME, Manchester

22 May 2022, 12 noon – 12 midnight | Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts and Brighton Festival

23 October 2021, 12 noon – 12 midnight | Co-production with Transform at Leeds Playhouse

Press

Feature: Critic under the spotlight: the 12-hour play showcasing everyday jobs – Holly Williams, The Stage – October 2021

Review: Exeunt Magazine – Angelo Irving – October 2021

Preview: A form of mass portraiture’: 12-hour theatre event explores different jobs – Mark Brown, The Guardian – October 2021

12 Last Songs is co-commissioned by Attenborough Centre for the Creative Arts; Cambridge Junction with the support of the Stobbs New Ideas Fund; and HOME. Co-produced by Transform. It is supported by Arts Council England and The Rank Foundation.

Photos: David Lindsay

"An opportunity to consider beauty in places not normally associated with that word" Angelo Irving, Exeunt Magazine

Images

CREDITS

Director: Richard Gregory
Designer: Simon Banham
Lighting Designer: Mike Brookes
Collaborating Artist/Assistant Director: Sarah Hunter
Collaborating Digital Artists: Lowri Evans & Lisa Mattocks
Questions text: Sarah Hunter, Leentje Van De Cruys & Quarantine
Dramaturg: Renny O’Shea
Project Animateur: Chi Emecheta
Production Manager: Greg Akehurst
Producer: Ali Dunican
Marketing & Communications: Edwina Supyue McEachrans

Co-production with Transform

Performers & collaborating artists: Lowri Evans, Ella Otomewo, Michael Sherin & Leentje Van De Cruys
Technical Managers: Adam Steed & Ed Jeffreys
Digital assistants: Kate Daley & Alan Dawson
Download the programme for full credits

Notebook