Tired All the Time - there could be no other title for actors Poppy Hardwicke and Lauren Mooney as they set out to tell a story about chronic fatigue, a condition they both live with.
The two friends enjoyed a three-day R&D residency at Lighthouse Poole, as part of the Sanctuary artist development scheme that enables emerging and established artists to play with new ideas as they begin to bring new work to life.
“TATT is just at the beginning of its adventure,” says Lauren. “In fact, this is the first time that we have been together, in the room, trying out ideas.
“It stands for ‘Tired All The Time’, a phrase often used by healthcare professionals to describe a patient’s persistent and prolonged symptoms of fatigue. TATT is a theatre show which explores ME (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis) / CFS (Chronic Fatigue Syndrome), and the misconceptions surrounding the illness.”
Lauren was diagnosed in 2017 during her GCSEs; while Poppy found out at the age of 12 while she was living in Gibraltar. She missed two full years of school.
“I fell far behind my peers, lost all of my friends, and felt like I had been robbed of my teenage years,” she says.
“Having a name for my condition didn’t erase the struggles I had already endured, but it gave me something vital: validation. My story is not unique – experiences of dismissal, misunderstanding, and isolation are common for people with CFS. The details may vary, but the pattern is heartbreakingly familiar.”
Having met on a film set in 2023, Lauren and Poppy rekindled their friendship earlier this year on the CREATE! programme hosted by b-side, Activate and Arts by the Sea where they discovered their shared experience of CFS. Both had experience of Sanctuary with other companies – Lauren with OffPiste Theatre’s Handle With Care and Poppy in Sisata’s production of Peter Pan – and applied.
“We wanted to use theatre to create awareness for this illness that has heavily impacted both of our lives,” Lauren explains.
“This week we shared our personal experiences in depth and invited others with the illness to reach out to us online. We had an incredible response from so many people, and we are so thankful to every person who responded to us and shared their story.”
And being able to use the space at Lighthouse has been hugely beneficial, says Poppy.
“It was moving to see the community come together, but also heartbreaking to realise how many people are struggling,” she says.
“We used these responses to experiment with physical theatre, verbatim, and improvisation, turning ideas that had only been in our heads into pieces we could begin shaping. Having the opportunity to explore freely was invaluable, giving us the space to try out different approaches and begin building something that we hope will grow into more.”
Their illness notwithstanding, both are determined to move things forward and see TATT take flight as a fully-fledged piece of contemporary theatre.
“We want to work with others who have also experienced chronic fatigue and/or chronic illness,” says Lauren.
“It is important to us that we can create accessible opportunities for this community and allow safe spaces for these artists to express their own experiences creatively. Ultimately, we would like to pursue a second R&D, this time with more people in the room, to really start developing this project further.
“Without Lighthouse, this project would still be an idea in our heads. We are eternally grateful for the opportunity to explore this project in a rehearsal room. The trust, resources and guidance resulted in three beautiful days of exploration, discovery and play. We have found how important this project is, not only to us, but to the entire community we are representing.”
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"Having been born and raised in North Dorset, Lighthouse has always been my local theatre. From attending pantomimes at Christmas, to participating in workshops, it’s been fantastic to have this venue on my doorstep.”Lauren Mooney
"Although I have only lived in Dorset since 2015, having previously spent time in Spain and Gibraltar, my family roots are firmly based in Dorset. Lighthouse has always held a special importance for me, as it is the closest theatre to my town and has given me the chance to see far more theatre than I otherwise could.”Poppy Hardwicke