Stories from then and now, crafted and craftily told, for theatres, village halls, pubs, tents, fields, and streets.
Creating and shaping stories in order to connect human beings is at the heart of everything Seedbed does.
I trained in acting at RADA and subsequently acted, devised, collaborated, and wrote for theatre in the UK, Europe, and the US. I've performed with British companies such as Cheek by Jowl and Shakespeare's Globe, and I co-ran Yorkshire-based Flying Cloud Theatre, writing and directing new plays for our Northern tours.
As a theatre professional, my work has also included teaching and facilitating a variety of groups and individuals. I've worked with schools, older people, adults recovering from drug and alcohol addiction, adults experiencing homelessness, neurodivergent young people, young people living with HIV, learning disabled adults, artists, and businesses. I've contributed theatre practices to intercultural dialogue, social justice, and community work.
I've always been excited by stories in theatres. Working with story with diverse groups in different contexts, l've become increasingly excited by the power of stories outside of theatres too. That's why I founded Seedbed, to increase connection through effective storytelling.
Something
Found
IMMERSIVE STORYTELLING
Story & Script by Jennifer Kidd
Lyrics & Score by Jenny Mahler
"They don't want me to tell Ursela's story anymore. They think if people know her story, they'll care more about the caves."
Ursela lives in a mountain cave with her mother and Bear. She has never known anyone else. She paints pictures of luminous beauty on the cave walls. When Bear goes missing, Ursela must reach out to the wider world. Testing her courage and her principles, she discovers a secret that will change her life and reconnect her family.
This is an immersive adventure with music, inspired by Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale, and suitable for young audiences and their adults. Children are invited to co-create the story; playing characters, contributing ideas, and travelling with Ursela on her journey of discovery.
Join Ursela to traverse the mountain passes of Bohemia; look out for bears, swoop like a falcon, and sleep under stars, before coming home to what really matters.
Something Found was created by Jenn Kidd of Seedbed Theatre, in collaboration with composer Jenny Mahler Larsen, designer Tadashi Moriyama, and costume designer Jana Lakatos.
With support from story consultant Roses Urquhart, and outside eye Caroline Horton.
With huge thanks to Chipping Norton Theatre, Tristan Lee, Jane Streeton, Jackie Daish, and Shona for their support in developing different aspects of the project. And to all of the children, parents, and carers, who have been part of the development process and shows.
Green and Gold
A NEW MUSICAL
Hawley and her two sisters have inherited the family farm. In uneven proportions.
Hawley hasn’t set foot on the farm for years. And her sisters are struggling to keep it afloat.
What’s been happening in the fields?
What have they found in the attic?
And what do they need to discuss at the kitchen table?
The three sisters have very different ideas about what they should do going forwards.
Can they successfully wrestle with the legacy and secrets left by their dead parents, face the difficult realities of the present, and somehow find a way to support each other and the land towards a hopeful future?
With rich, playful, and urgent melodies and harmonies spun from the natural world. At its heart, Green and Gold explores our relationship with the land.
Lyrics and Score by Jenny Mahler (https://www.jennymahler.co.uk)
Story and Script by Jennifer Kidd (https://www.seedbedtheatre.com)
Currently in development.
Songstring
YARN BY YARN
"Atmospheric, Poignant, Compelling, Timely"
You have two minutes before leaving home forever. What do you pack? And what do you take that unseen? What songs do you hold in your heart?
Their vibrations carry an essence of where you come from, who you are. They permeate generations and when you find yourself in another time and place, they ignite your heart and carry you home.
A solo performer crafts a painful, beautiful, and rousing tale. Through embodied storytelling that flows between speech and song, Seedbed Theatre unfurls a bastardised heroine's journey, infused with acappella melodies of the British Isles.
Created by Jennifer Kidd
Musical Direction and Composition by Jon Daffyd Kidd
Premiered as part of the RADA Festival
Dedicated to Cara Thompson, and in memory of Derek Richards.
The Disappeared
INTO THE WOODS…
Belfast. Today.
After decades away, a child, a mother, and a soldier reappear.
Where have they been and what can they teach the people of the town?
A new play interrogating what we unconsciously inherit, whether we need to name it in order to let it go, and forgiveness.
By Jennifer kidd
THE DISAPPEARED, SCRIPT DEVELOPMENT
Script development days took place at RADA. We explored plot, characterisation and the ghost element through improv, hot seating, movement and discussion. The actors brought the characters to life through their considerable talents.
RADA GRADUATE WORKSHOP CAST:
Julie - Lucia McAnespie
Bradan - Keith Dunphy
Roiseen - Corinne Martin
Frances - Molly Logan
Carole - Grainne Keenan
Malachy - Donal Gallery
Director. Leandra Ashton
Dramaturg, Lloyd Trott
The Magical Island
INTERACTIVE STORYTELLING
"For the waves tumble in, And the waves slide out,
On the stoney, sandy shores of my island.
And children if you'll dwell,
I've a magic tale to tell,
'Bout the things that happened once 'pon this island..."
A girl is struggling to grow up on an island with her father and adopted brother.
When a ship is wrecked near the shore and survivors make their way onto the island, her world is thrown into a glorious kind of chaos.
A liberal re-telling of The Tempest, from Miranda's point of view.