Welcome to Pluck

We are very pleased and excited and proud to announce that we have been awarded a Project Grant award from Arts Council England and an Arts Grant from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea to develop our collaboration and create patient-led mini performances for children and young people at Chelsea and Westminster. We will be supported, as always, by the fantastic team at CW+.

Pluck will explore how to make interactive shows using harp music and puppetry, that ask for patients creative input and respond to their emotional and wellbeing needs

Pluck will be a 6-month project that will involve a rolling process of research, creating performances, showings to patients and redevelopment. It will result in the creation of at least 3 shows that respond directly to patients’ creative input. It is supported by charity CW+ and has received funding from Arts Council England and Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

The design of this project has been heavily informed by our experiences of working with patients at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital over the last 2 1/2 years. Throughout this period we have worked closely with play team staff to understand what their patients' emotional needs are, how we can meet them and also best support staff. The specific issues that they have identified that children and young people face in hospital include, feelings of isolation, boredom, anxiety over medical procedures and missing out on social, educational and cultural events.

One of our key aims for the project is for our work to be influenced by the patient's creative ideas. We are interested in learning what they want to see in the stories, what types of characters, themes, and styles of delivery. For example, themes of space, the ocean and wild-life and emotional states of soothing, excitement and relaxation. We will explore the use of interactive elements during the performances so young patients can direct aspects of puppetry and music, and make choices about what happens next in the story.

Pluck will encourage patients to connect, interact, experiment, influence and engage in theatre and music in an environment where they may not expect to experience the arts.

We are so excited to expand our collaboration with original music and tonnes of puppets!

Our aim is to document our journey and research to share with you all - so watch this space!