I’m Standing Next To You

Our world has never been more connected. So why is it that an increasing number of people feel isolated and alone?

We stand next to each other and don’t make eye contact; we don’t know our neighbours and we choose to bury our heads, checking social media rather than engaging with people.

There is something wrong with the world when you can stand in a crowd but feel more alone than ever.

I’m standing next to you is an award winning promenade play that invites audiences to become part of a lonely crowd. We imagine what would happen if strangers suddenly decided to talk to each other honestly about their lives, rather than the edited version we all think people want to see. Sometimes funny, sometimes sad, our strangers will talk about internet dating, new motherhood and the struggle to find your place in the world.

Loneliness is a major problem affecting our society today with 1 in 4 people saying they feel lonely.

 It’s time that we talked about loneliness.

★★★★ “Despite the humour there is an underlying seriousness being explored… The show raises some very important issues about the world we live in today… Not to be missed.” – North West End

This is the type of show which makes you want to grab people off the street to see.”

I LOVE MANCHESTER

 

the quality of writing that really stands out…. there’s an effective balance of humour and desperation, of internal strength and the need for external recognition.”

Quiet Man Dave

“Made for Manchester, about Manchester, and exactly the sort of unconventional piece that the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival Demands.”

Steven Ireland

“An honest, raw and emotionally charged piece of theatre.” – Sincerely Amy

“Highly topical… strong performances, a strong script… From the Mill Theatre should be commended for tackling a prominent daily aspect of our lives and an issue which people don’t like to talk about.” – The Reviews Hub

“An intelligent and well-staged effort to address a social problem that can easily be overlooked or trivialised.” – Manchester Theatre Awards

 

“The actors are highly skilled. Matthew Foray is particularly talented and his ending lines really brought home the impact loneliness can have.” – Lipstick at Weekends

 
 

Jennifer Campbell

Jennifer is one of the founding members of From the Mill. Primarily an actor, Jennifer also writes, directs and produces for the company.

Jennifer is very passionate about acting, and has been performing from a very young age. After growing up in Macclesfeld, working with local theatre groups and the National Youth Music Theatre, Jennifer moved to Manchester, and performed in a range of productions with the Royal Exchange Theatre for a number of years.

Jennifer has also worked with Punchdrunk and Adam Curtis, while performing in ‘It Felt Like a Kiss’ in the 2009 Manchester International Festival. More recently, she has performed with Just Add Water Theatre Company at the Lowry, in ‘Bobby’.

Jennifer is also very passionate about physical geography, and is currently studying a PhD, researching past environmental change in Morocco at the University of Manchester. Her other hobbies include reading, swimming, going to the theatre and the cinema and going to see live music.

Matthew Forey

Matthew has pursued his love for acting for a number of years now. He attained a drama studies degree at De Montfort University whilst also performing in a number of shows at the Curve theatre in Leicester. He is a recent graduate of East 15 Acting school which is where he found his love of devising performances.

Recently Matthew has toured theatre in the UK and France and has also been collaborating with fellow students of East 15 in writing and devising new theatre.

Matthew is also passionate about teaching. Having gained a qualification in drama teaching, he has gone on to teach young people acting in academies

Lucy Hilton-Jones

Lucy graduated from Manchester School of Theatre (Man Met) in 2015. Since then, she has truly realised her affinity with new writing, devising and immersive performance. She is thrilled to be collaborating with From the Mill on this project

Tom Hodson (Director)

Theatre: Life’s Witness (Lowry Studio, Page to Stage Festival and Buxton Fringe), Billy Liar (LIPA), God Save the Teen (National Youth Theatre), Medea (LAMDA).

Writing: Life’s Witness (Lowry Studio, Page to Stage Festival and Buxton Fringe), Factory (Grin Theatre) and Manchester Story (Lowry Studio and Paines Plough).

Director: The Shape of Things (Liverpool University- Winner “Best Director”).

Tom is one of the founding members of From the Mill Theatre Company.

Karim Adab (Composer)

An experienced musician, this is Karim’s first original composition. It was mixed by Test^pattern.

 

Little Sparrow

Singer-songwriter Katie Ware adopted the name Little Sparrow as she felt it characteristic of the sound she had developed and the direction in which she wished to travel.

Drawing upon influences as diverse as Kate Bush, All About Eve and PJ Harvey she creates songs that are filled with a blend of styles, woven into the colourful tapestry of her music, often with a mysterious fairy tale quality.

“Sending the message” is taken from her debut album “Wishing Tree”.

 
Katie Haworth
 
Katie is a songwriter and musician based in Lancashire and has been composing for over 15 years.

All the characters can make us smile… Yes, we are invited to see how each of the characters feels isolated in the face of technology but that is also an invitation to come face to face with them.

 This is the type of show which makes you want to grab people off the street to see. I left with my phone still in my pocket, smiling at the cab driver who stopped for me on Dale Street.”

I LOVE MANCHESTER

” It’s very well acted but it’s the quality of writing that really stands out…. there’s an effective balance of humour and desperation, of internal strength and the need for external recognition.”

Quiet Man Dave

“The incredible strength here is the writing. The premise sounds grim, but the script is littered with humour, and more than that it rings so true. Added to that three strong, committed performances; the three characters create an uncanny portrait of that most awful isolation that’s only found when you’re surrounded by people…………Made for Manchester, about Manchester, and exactly the sort of unconventional piece that the Greater Manchester Fringe Festival Demands.”

Steven Ireland

An excellent cast (Jennifer Campbell, Matthew Forey, Lucy Hilton-Jones) make the characters engaging giving them a level of self-awareness that prevents them slipping into mawkish self-pity. As a result you become drawn into the stories and never feel tempted to dismiss their concerns as trivial…..I’m Standing Next To You is an intelligent and well-staged effort to address a social problem that can easily be overlooked or trivialised.”

Manchester Theatre Award