A participatory video produced by members of the Liverton Mine Youth Club as they prepare to hold a theatrical performance at the local community centre in the village of Liverton in East Cleveland. The film follows the teenage participants as they work together to make their own costumes and props as well as practice the various dance routines the performance would include. The film begins outside the Liverton Mine Community Centre where several local teenagers spray painting paper suits...

A participatory video produced by members of the Liverton Mine Youth Club as they prepare to hold a theatrical performance at the local community centre in the village of Liverton in East Cleveland. The film follows the teenage participants as they work together to make their own costumes and props as well as practice the various dance routines the performance would include. The film begins outside the Liverton Mine Community Centre where several local teenagers spray painting paper suits in readiness. Inside some youngsters practice dance routines with a choreographer while others work with an artist on costumes. The tape includes footage of them taking a break and ‘larking around.’ Outside the community centre again a group of teenagers work to spray paint several paper suits with various colours and designs, a group of younger boys on bicycles come over to see what is going on. As they continue to work on their designs they listen to music and chat amongst themselves. A boy comes over and they admire his jacket which reads ‘Protect Our Ozone Layer’ on the back. In the distance a cargo ship at anchor of the coast in the North Sea changes to some of the participants now inside the community centre. One of them is wearing one of the decorated paper suits, some of them begin to dance to the music. In another part of the centre a mannequin stands in a corner changing to some of the paper suits now laid out on the floor. One of the participants is wearing her suit as someone waves a fluorescent tube over it causing the painted designs to light up. Three girls turn to see the camera and they practice a dance routine while in a kitchen area two other play on a toy seesaw. Now several members of the group are wearing their paper suits with one also wearing a decorative hat. [Blank] With some of them still wearing their paper suits they begin to practice dance moves. Now out of their suits more of them are taught a dance routine by an instructor. In the kitchen area of the hall some of the group make paper mâché heads and other parts of the costumes using the mannequin seen previous to build their designs upon. With the curtains pulled the hall is now in darkness with the group continuing to practice their dance routines with part of their paper costumes glowing. The lights go back on as some of the group continue to work on costume fittings followed by a dress rehearsal in which many of the participants wear costumes and use specific props to a run through of the final production. Standing in the doorway of the centre some of the participants chatting. Back in the kitchen some of the teenagers stand chatting as one of them eats a slice of pizza. [Blank] In the doorway of the centre some of the group stand around chatting with one of them smoking a cigarette. Back inside the hall some of the younger participants work on some of the outfits and another teenager works in the kitchen with an electric keyboard. As some of the group chat over cups of tea in the main hall, one participant plays up for the camera. As the camera wonders around the hall past costumes and props nearly completed others in the group also begin to play up for the camera with two older women relaxing in the main hall. Some of the group practice dance moves with others being swung around in a shopping trolley for fun. Outside a Ford Transit van parked up and several long metal poles are unloaded and taken around the back of the hall. The camera wonders around the areas stopping in three local workmen standing beside the van parked nearby. The film ends in the hall’s toilets with one of the male participants sitting in one of the cubicles while in the female toilets three girls chatting about the production.