Festival of Hobbies - Performance (Featuring Jess Gibson)

Jess Gibson is a Sheffield based multi-disciplinary artist, writer and performer. Recently, she found success with her sell-out solo show Work in Progress , which was a hit locally and enjoyed a successful tour across the UK.

Jess, whose work often focuses on mental health and the spectrum of human emotion, joined us to talk about how she went from dancing and performing as a hobby, to touring a one-woman show nationwide.

“In the beginning, it was something to keep my mind busy. It was about being present and expending energy”

Originally from Liverpool, Jess now lives and works in Sheffield, performing and running workshops in the community. Her passion for performance started early, and was initially just a hobby.

“It was dance really, I was always most interested in dance when I was younger. I’ve always been very active since I was very little and enjoyed moving around lots. I never enjoyed singing or theatre as much as I did dance and choreography, that was until I saw a performance by a company called Quarantine in Manchester, and it changed my entire perception of what theatre and performance could do and the impact it could have - especially in a social sense. It was in my third year of university that I discovered them, and it was so different from anything else I’d ever seen. They work with people in the community who aren’t necessarily professional performers or actors and many who hadn’t been on stage before, or people who hadn't ever done any performance before. They worked with pregnant women, babies, people of an older generation. It was really interactive and inter-generational”.

Jess has since worked with Quarantine in Manchester as a performer, as well as a multitude of Sheffield-based theatre companies such as Theatre Delicatessen, Sheffield Theatres and Harland Works’ own Third Angel.

Outlining what drew her to performing as a hobby, Jess explains; “In the beginning, it was something to keep my mind busy. It was about being present and expending energy. I loved it - there was something about movement and being able to move my body that was so rewarding. I think we need it, we need play”.

“It’s so important that we keep hold of the spaces that we have on offer to us and make sure that they are being utilised for community driven projects and workshops”

From Liverpool to Manchester and now Sheffield, Jess had certainly had chance to explore her fair share of the arts projects and venues available today. Sheffield is now home for Jess, and she speaks highly of the performance and theatre scene here.

“There is a really fantastic focus on the DIY. Whatever it is, people here tend to just get up and do it, regardless of their income, or financial restrictions or gain. Obviously that is an important aspect of any project, and people will always try to get the artists on their projects paid where possible, but the focus is more on just producing. I find it very admirable and encouraging”

Jess goes on to outline some of the ways people can get involved with one of Sheffield’s many projects and venues, saying; “There are so many places in Sheffield that people can go to get involved with theatre and performance. Theatre Deli is fantastic, whether it’s for community projects or workshops, or even just to go and see stuff that’s varied and accessible. I think Sheffield actually has the second biggest theatre complex outside of London, which I didn’t know until recently - so there’s always something going on. There’s loads of stuff for people that are on different employment bands or levels of income, too. For example, a lot of places will offer schemes that allow you to volunteer in exchange for tickets. I know Sheffield Theatres also offers tickets for a fiver for people who are under 26. There are places like Andro and Eve, who have recently done a Drag King workshop...they are doing some fantastic work in elevating the voice of the LGBT community in local performance and theatre. That particular workshop was mainly just for people who wanted to play with character a little bit, so there is something for everyone. There are always workshops on at The Crucible, that are a lot of the time just for people to go and try something new. It’s so important that we keep hold of the spaces that we have on offer to us and make sure that they are being utilised for community driven projects and workshops”

“To engross yourself in the moment is what we need to do more of”

Initially, dance provided Jess with an opportunity to focus her mind on something that was just for her; something creative and active that was outside of every-day life. This seems to be a prospect that many people find attractive in a hobby - but why do we need hobbies?

“I think there definitely is a social aspect to it. I’ve found that the older I get, the more I crave social interaction” Jess admits.

“Also, there is absolutely an element of mindfulness involved. Whatever your hobby is, whether it’s knitting or performance or dance, you’re in that moment. It’s a really present thing to do and I don’t think we spend enough of our time doing that. Our thinking always seems to be future-based or past-based and we should spend more time focused on the now. To engross yourself in the moment is what we need to do more of”.

Prevalent too, are the benefits that a hobby (and especially a creative and physically demanding one like performance) can have on one’s mental well-being. As someone who has had her own battles with mental health, Jess agrees that a hobby can be a lifeline when you’re struggling.

“Absolutely hobbies are good for your mental health, I don’t doubt it at all. I think if the only things we focus on are work, family and finance - it’s all very productive and goal driven. But doing a hobby and doing something just for the process or the fun of doing it is so hard for us to do in this day and age, but that makes it all the more important for us to do. I think that’s maybe one reason why there are so many people struggling with mental health conditions - we’re not doing enough that’s just for us to enjoy. Things like walking - we’re surrounded by these gorgeous Peaks, which we’re very fortunate to have and often we don’t utilise to their full potential. I’m certainly guilty of that”.

The production that Jess recently toured, Work in Progress, was an honest and personal look into the human side of mental health struggles, stripping away the clinical labels and diagnoses and looking at the awkward, emotional, strange and sometimes funny elements that are often overlooked or never spoken about.

Jess explains how penning and performing such a personal solo show was rewarding a difficult in equal measure, saying; “It’s been quite cathartic in some ways to write and perform personal pieces about mental health, but it can also be very difficult. In some ways, there is an element of catharsis because it’s a form of expression, and acting is a platform for a story - which is important. Conversely, when I’m having a particularly bad day, especially while we were on tour, I don’t always want to get up in front of all those people and perform something that personal. That’s when it can be less cathartic”.

While some days were tougher than others, the rewards were certainly worthwhile. Jess adds, “I had a lot of people coming up to me either before or after performances of Work in Progress, saying that they had recently been through a mental health diagnostic process, especially with BPD, who said that they had never heard someone talking about it in an open way, or a positive way or a non-clinical way - and that had really helped them because in that context, suddenly people could relate to it in a human way. When it’s re-framed, it becomes about human emotion and that’s something we can all relate to. I talked a lot about the label itself; it’s not helpful and it doesn’t actually explain anything, you’ve got to look closer”.

 “What was really great was the mix of people in the audience. There were service users and non-service users, people who have family that are struggling and psychiatrists and psychologists - just having all those people in one room was great”

From dancing as a hobby to touring a show, Jess admits that taking something you love as a hobby and making it something bigger is not without it’s challenges.

“The way it feels shifts a bit. There’s so much more pressure. Of course, it’s a group effort - I didn’t put on Work in Progress and tour it all on my own. It’s a collaborative thing. That adds a little more pressure because you value those people and want to show that you value them, because it’s their time and time is so precious, and we’ve all got families and other jobs and bills to pay. You’re very aware that even though people are saying that they want to help out and will do so regardless of financial incentives, rent is getting more and more expensive, there’s zero hour contracts and people are working three jobs. So you do feel the need when people are putting so much work in to pay them well, and it’s not always possible”. 

“I think just having that extra pressure of finance can weigh heavily. Also, when you’re working at that level, there is a pressure artistically for your work to be of a certain quality, especially if you’re taking it to new venues and people are paying for tickets. The audience have chosen to come and spend their hard earned money and their time coming to see something that I’m doing, so that elevates it a little bit. Whereas if it’s a hobby, it can be just for you. When it’s your job, you’re held accountable for things and you’ve signed contracts, there’s so much more pressure there. It’s not the same.”

While the challenges are amplified, so to are the potential rewards, both personal and social. Jess recalls the show’s opening night, saying; “The first night of Work in Progress was really scary; it had sold out and I didn’t feel that some of the sections were trialed and tested to the level that I wanted them to be. They got changed or removed later down the line. What was really great though was the mix of people in the audience. There were service users and non-service users, people who have family that are struggling and psychiatrists and psychologists - just having all those people in one room was great. That’s why I think creativity is so important in this context; it can start conversations that are without clearly defined goals, but that need to be had because they are so important”.

So what’s next for Jess? Well, it seems she’s already looking ahead to the next project.

“I want to keep making things that are about human emotion and the things that we all have in common. I want to make something around fear and confidence and what they can mean to different people. I’ve got a couple of residencies coming up and I’m applying for some arts council funding”.

Below are some links to explore if you’re based in Sheffield and want to get involved with any of the venues or projects mentioned in this article:

If you want to check out Theatre Deli, including upcoming shows or how you can get involved, please visit them here.

For information on Sheffield Theatres, you can explore their website (which includes The Crucible and The Lyceum) here.

To find out about the exciting events that Andro and Eve have coming up, click here.

Finally, are you aged 14-19 and interested in getting involved with theatre and film? Third Angel have teamed up with Theatre Deli and Sheffield Hallam University to present Future Makers ’20, a programme of free theatre and film workshops run by industry professionals for 14-19 year olds living in Sheffield. For more information and to apply, please visit them here.