For when you’re stuck in a time loop

Be the first to favourite this.

ThickSkin’s Walk This Play® series rethinks the limitations of theatre by using innovative tech and providing access on a wider scale. Your Time Is Now was commissioned by The Lawrence Batley Theatre in Huddersfield, and immerses the listener into an adventure with the objective of, in a way, restoring lost time.

Your Time Is Now is one of the shortlisted pieces in the Sound Walk September Awards 2022. ThickSkin’s Artistic Director Neil Bettles talks about the experience of creating the soundwalk.


When we started to work on a Walk This Play project for The Lawrence Batley Theatre, we were keen to make something that felt like it had a mission, or some kind of task, to do along the walk. Working with the writer Misha Duncan-Barry (who is from Huddersfield) and spending time walking and researching the area, we were struck by the grand architecture and intricate details on buildings which, if you didn’t look up, you might never notice. We also wanted to make something that was fun, to do with a sci-fi element, and with pure story telling at its heart.

The inspiration for the walk came from Saint Pauls Hall, a church building very near to the Lawrence Batley Theatre where the walk was going to start.  The church tower is missing its clock and has a blank space, clearly marking where a clock once was.  It was this detail that gave us our mission.  

Huddersfield is trapped in a time loop. Unknowingly repeating the same day over and over. But time is slowing down, and the town is at risk of being lost forever. 

Today’s assignment is to reactivate time. 

Collect the clocks and clues that will help you on your way as Commander X guides you round the streets of Huddersfield. But hurry, you don’t have long!

We mapped out a series of prominent clocks on the streets of Huddersfield and connected them via interesting streets, this means audiences also get to take in some of the great architecture along the walk. We also wanted to make use of the various statues on the route, making them come alive to give information and guidance. During the play, the whole mission is overseen by commander X, who is the main guide for the walk, voiced brilliantly by Mina Anwar. Our sound designer Lee Affen created an 80’s, sci fi inspired sound world that keeps the action flowing and provides just the right amount of intrigue and tension.

It was a really great process making the walk and one that challenged us in lots of interesting ways. From timing specific sections, to making sure the participants found all the locations they needed to hit. The walk features everything; from talking lions, to a Harold Wilson statue pointing the way, both voiced by Matthew Booth. These elements make the walk feel fun, light-hearted, and engaging.  


This text is the eight in a series of the artists shortlisted for the Sound Walk September 2022 Awards talking about their work.

Leave a Reply

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Also check out

  • Post
    New

    5 misconceptions on walking art

    · 15 Feb, 2024
  • Curated news
    New

    ‘I strolled among lovely Lent lilies, wild garlic and beautiful bluebells’: readers’ favourite spring walks in the UK | Walking holidays | The Guardian

    · 29 Mar, 2024
  • Audio about walking
    New

    The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Rolf Potts — The Vagabond’s Way, Tactics for Immersive Travel, Pilgrimages and Psychogeography, Empathy Machines, Full-Throated Love, The Slow Sense of Smell, Lessons from Thích Nhất Hạnh, Falling Upward, and More (#624) – The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss

    · 28 Mar, 2024
  • Curated news
    New

    10 of the best British walking festivals | Walking holidays | The Guardian

    · 3 Mar, 2024
  • Post
    New
    Marŝarto23

    The winners of the Marŝarto23 are…

    Geert Vermeire
    Andrew Stuck
    Fiona Hesse
    Clara Gari
    Claudia Zeiske
    Blake Morris
    Viv Corringham
    Radhika Subramaniam
    · 13 Feb, 2024
  • Post
    New

    PORTER UNE MARCHE – PROJET EN COURS – collectif ° Bonneau-Knight ° collective

    · 25 Mar, 2024
  • Curated news
    New

    A Walking Tour of Los Angeles Architecture: From Art Deco to California Bungalow | Open Culture

    · 10 Mar, 2024
  • Curated news
    New

    ‘It is your family’s journey too’ — Harvard Gazette

    · 12 Mar, 2024
  • Curated news
    New

    Walking with John Cage | John Wilson | First Things

    · 27 Feb, 2024
  • Curated news
    New

    Singaporean director Tan Pin Pin on her new documentary walk walk, and 30 years of capturing the Lion City on film | South China Morning Post

    · 27 Feb, 2024
  • Curated news
    New

    Walking through a Songline – Event Information – ArtsHub Australia

    · 27 Feb, 2024
  • Curated news
    New

    Bristol Upfest street art festival returns for 2024 – BBC News

    · 21 Feb, 2024
Post
New
5 misconceptions on walking art

15 Feb, 2024

Curated news
New
‘I strolled among lovely Lent lilies, wild garlic and beautiful bluebells’: readers’ favourite spring walks in the UK | Walking holidays | The Guardian

29 Mar, 2024

Audio about walking
New
The Tim Ferriss Show Transcripts: Rolf Potts — The Vagabond’s Way, Tactics for Immersive Travel, Pilgrimages and Psychogeography, Empathy Machines, Full-Throated Love, The Slow Sense of Smell, Lessons from Thích Nhất Hạnh, Falling Upward, and More (#624) – The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss

28 Mar, 2024

Curated news
New
10 of the best British walking festivals | Walking holidays | The Guardian

3 Mar, 2024

Post
New
Marŝarto23
The winners of the Marŝarto23 are…

13 Feb, 2024

The winners of Marŝarto23 are Monique Besten and Alison Neighbour, both covering pertinent life questions which affect us all.

Post
New
PORTER UNE MARCHE – PROJET EN COURS – collectif ° Bonneau-Knight ° collective

25 Mar, 2024

Curated news
New
A Walking Tour of Los Angeles Architecture: From Art Deco to California Bungalow | Open Culture

10 Mar, 2024

Curated news
New
‘It is your family’s journey too’ — Harvard Gazette

12 Mar, 2024

Curated news
New
Walking with John Cage | John Wilson | First Things

27 Feb, 2024

Curated news
New
Singaporean director Tan Pin Pin on her new documentary walk walk, and 30 years of capturing the Lion City on film | South China Morning Post

27 Feb, 2024

Curated news
New
Walking through a Songline – Event Information – ArtsHub Australia

27 Feb, 2024

Curated news
New
Bristol Upfest street art festival returns for 2024 – BBC News

21 Feb, 2024