Chunky Jewellery by Scotland’s Barrowland Ballet tours to Lowry, created by Ben Duke, Natasha Gilmore and Jude Williams
An honest and raw account of sisterhood and solidarity lands at Lowry, Salford, for two performances only
Two friends, one year, two births, a death, 18 bursts of laughter, 34,000 tears (each), and one piece of chunky jewellery.
It was a year to forget, but instead performers Jude Williams and Natasha Gilmore co-created an epic autobiographical theatre show with Ben Duke (Lost Dog).
Combining a potent patchwork of theatre, dance, comedy, storytelling, self-penned and borrowed songs, Chunky Jewellery tells the story of two single mothers, somewhere in the middle of it all. An honest and raw account of sisterhood and solidarity, the pair share intimate and private chapters of their lives in raw accounts of grief, resilience, courage and survival, navigating life, death, and everything in-between.
Following a successful run at the Edinburgh Fringe 2025 as part of the Made in Scotland Showcase, Chunky Jewellery lands at The Lowry in Salford on Saturday 26 September for two performances only (3pm and 7pm), before embarking on wider UK and international touring.
Get ready for messy birthday parties, an awkward dinner, and a bedside goodbye on a grand scale - with the set elevated into the epic by stage and costume designer Shizuka Hariu (Dekalog; Opera Super Angels, National Theatre Tokyo; Dystopian Dream, Sadler’s Wells). Repurposing kids’ toys as musical instruments, the show features a mixture of borrowed and original songs by Jude Williams, (Scottish BAFTA winner; Hightimes. STV; The Book Group, Channel 4; Peer Gynt, National Theatre of Scotland / Barbican) including a heart-warming rendition of And Then He Kissed Me by The Crystals, accompanied by a toy Xylophone.
Directed and co-created by Olivier-award nominated Ben Duke (Artistic Director of Lost Dog Dance, Juliet & Romeo, Paradise Lost) and produced by award-winning Scottish dance company Barrowland Ballet (Wee Man, The Gift), these uncompromising and formidable performers have co-created and delivered an unflinchingly human, autobiographical and life-affirming piece of theatre.
The creative team also includes Vicki Manderson as Associate Director (Burn, Orphan, National Theatre of Scotland; When Prophecy Fails, Groupwork at Edinburgh International Festival), Composer Davey Anderson (Black Watch, National Theatre of Scotland, Wild Rose, Royal Lyceum Theatre Edinburgh), and Elle Taylor as Lighting Designer (June Carter Cash: The Woman, Her Music and Me, National Theatre of Scotland).
Barrowland Ballet have previously toured to Lowry with the exhibition Family Portrait (May - June 2022), as part of Lowry’s Edits series, a collection of experimental and boundary- pushing exhibitions. Featuring a four-screen interactive video installation, the work brought together striking cinematography and choreography. It captured Barrowland Ballet’s Artistic Director Natasha Gilmore moving with her three children, in an intimate portrayal of family life, and exploring themes of motherhood and childhood. The exhibition also encouraged visitors to create their own Family Portrait, and use the gallery space and props provided to explore ideas of movement and play.
Co-creator and performer Jude Williams said: ‘Our lives authored Chunky Jewellery, and we look forward to sharing and bearing the work again at The Lowry. The work is intimate and autobiographical, with stories that overlap birth, grief and death. It explores the sustained thread of friendship, during achingly, wild, and beautiful heartbreaking times. It's an alternative love story about a chosen family. And the incredible fierce love of female friendship.’
Barrowland Ballet’s Artistic Director Natasha Gilmore said: ‘It’s exciting that we are able to bring Chunky Jewellery to The Lowry after bringing our video installation work Family Portrait to Salford in 2022. We loved the warm reception we received in Manchester and Salford. I'm delighted to be returning and feel sure this work, with its brutally honest comedy will resonate with audiences.’
Co-creator and director Ben Duke said: ‘I’m delighted to have co-created and directed Chunky Jewellery. As a choreographer and director, my work mixes forms. To have the opportunity to collaborate with Barrowland Ballet, Natasha, Jude and the full creative team on a personal piece that combines song, dance, and words was a joy.’
Barrowland Ballet also runs Wolf Pack, Scotland’s first ever intergenerational dance company, which celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2026. In its time, Wolf Pack has seen 80 members take part in the company, aged between 8 - 80+. To mark the anniversary, Wolf Pack will present work at Gathered Together, Scotland’s Inclusive International Dance Festival at Tramway, Glasgow (2 - 5 September), before heading to The Studio, Edinburgh, for a triple bill of work - Ha Ha Ha, Like Blood and See Me, alongside a curated selection of their award-winning dance films from the past decade (12 September).
For winter, Barrowland Ballet will present Poggle’s Christmas Adventure at the Citizen’s Theatre, Glasgow (12 - 24 December), Poggle is the story of Vince, who wants to explore the forest but is too scared, until one day he meets Poggle, a friendly creature. Together they go on an adventure through the forest where they discover the magical musical tree. A warm-hearted sensory dance theatre piece with live music, clapping rhythms and comedy throughout in an imaginatively changing world which the children have the chance to explore.