Three self-storage operators in England are hosting a theatrical performance this spring that will be staged inside their buildings. Produced by Dante or Die Theater, “Handle With Care” features a young woman named Zoe who visits her belongings in various storage units over a span of several years, beginning in 1988. The immersive play explores “the things we hold onto, their value and how they tell our individual stories,” according to the theater website.
The production was created by Daphna Attias and Terry O’Donovan of Dante or Die and playwright Chloë Moss. Attias is also the director. The play studies how people accumulate objects, the meaning placed on “seemingly banal belongings” and how these items give someone a sense of home, the website states.
The performance will take place at the following self-storage facilities:
- May 5-8: Ready Steady Store in Worsley, England, sponsored by The Lowry's Week 53 Festival
- May 13-15: Lok'nStore in Essex, England, sponsored by Harlow Playhouse
- May 19-22: Lok'nStore in Berkshire, England, sponsored by South Street Arts Centre
- May 26-29: Lok'nStore in Dorset, England, sponsored by Lighthouse Poole’s Centre for the Arts
- June 3-25: Urban Locker Self Storage in London, sponsored by Shoreditch Town Hall
“Handle With Care” is also supported by funding from the Arts Council England.
Founded in 2005, Ready Steady Store has nine storage facilities throughout the United Kingdom.
Owned by Lok'nStore Group PLC and founded in 1995, Lok’nStore operates 24 self-storage facilities and two records-storage locations in Southern England.
Urban Locker provides indoor self-storage in the heart of Central London, near the Old Street underground station.
Sources:
- Dante or Die Theater: Handle With Care
