Perfect Show for Rachel, from the mind of Maya Seligman

Whilst we've been on tour with Perfect Show for Rachel, various artists / facilitators / creatives have joined us to observe, learning about our practice and what we get up to on the ground.

Below is a reflection from Maya Seligman, who has joined us across the tour - in rehearsals, for shows and our community engagement workshops.

When I saw Perfect Show For Rachel at the Barbican in 2024, I turned to my uncle (who had bought us tickets because he likes improv!) and said ‘I need to find a way to work with these people’. The show appealed so strongly to my long standing love of accessible theatre, and belief that access can bring theatre alive in new and exciting ways.

It therefore felt like a dream come true to be in the PSFR rehearsal room for a couple of days and I was touched to get to represent Sheffield as well as myself in the space. I loved the ‘what is alive in you’ check in; I liked how it allowed everyone to be as they needed to be – for some people it was short and sweet, for others it was heavy, or joyous, or political, or practical.

Watching how everyone accommodated each other with kindness and flexibility was lovely. I’d like to train as an access coordinator, so it was cool to see the diversity of the job: Hannah did everything from offering body doubling, to finding blankets and childminding.

I think I will take the ‘word chain’ warm up into my practice as a great way to transition from sit down check ins to playful games. It was a lovely way to include the observers and office team before cracking on with the day. Everyone made the effort to make us feel normal as observers, letting me know where I could sit to get a good view, and never making me feel wrong if I ended up in the way!

It was fascinating to see how on earth you rehearse an improv-based show – primarily by still play testing new ideas, and making sure everyone was still learning and honing their skills and ability to respond in the moment. It was amazing to see how the work in the morning could translate into Rachel’s show in the afternoon, and to see everyone respond to the challenge of sometimes doing a button that they hadn’t rehearsed yet!

I got absolutely soaking wet on multiple occasions by proxy of water gun, and it was great to see Rachel’s boy/Jackson obsession in action after so much entertaining problem solving about how to keep the show running with Jackson in the room.

I came away really inspired and delighted to have had an insight into a long-developed process. In Hornchurch, I sat with ZooCo/Improbable people for a matinee and I felt honoured when Stephen and Becky spotted me and waved!

I think my favourite thing about the show is how it allows me to unmask. The show is different each time but also full of repetitive components that I then anticipate the joy of watching again. My AuDHD brain loves it!

In the evening, I shadowed the youth theatre workshop, and Flo very kindly narrated the technique of how Lee was facilitating, so that I could learn from him how she had. A standout moment was watching Flo model accessible and flexible practice live, with a neurodivergent participant. It was chance that she picked him for the game, but it became a really good way to see how to come into his world, how to communicate in a way he would understand, and how to work as a team to get to the end goal. It seemed like several neurodivergent young people in the room felt acknowledged and recognised in a new way. Helping and participating in the Sheffield workshops was so so fun. It was lovely to feel like a bridge, navigating the building of my local theatre and guiding the PSFR team, knowing who to ask for help from, having worked with some of the kids, while also being part of the ZooCo crew and knowing the shape of the workshop from being in Hornchurch.

‘Why are you late?’ taught me a lot about when is the right time to be involved in the game as a leader, and how you can model or scaffold it so that the fun and teaching parts of the game are the focus. After Hornchurch, I tried facilitating it myself with a youth theatre and I found it quite hard! But that encouraged me to really watch the specifics about what made the ZooCo version work so well, and apply that next time I lead it.

It was amazing to see two vastly different groups (one of 40, one of 6) interact with the same principles. I was interested to see how taking the time to explain the Open Space principles helped everyone in the room to relax, and to be themselves. The early-career artist workshop allowed me to be a participant and meet fellow young creatives. The small group allowed us more depth, and time for Flo and Fleur to go into detail. I am the sibling of a fantastic and creative disabled young adult, and it was nice to see my own experience reflected in Flo’s and know that she would

understand. I felt very well held, and I think (finally) I absorbed the Open Space principles as a tool or mantra that I can keep with me as I go about my work and life.