GREY Area
Grey Area is a street performance by Charles Brockbank, blending juggling, parkour, and clowning to reimagine the overlooked ‘grey zones’ of the urban landscape. This is a playful yet thoughtful response to the spaces we often move through without noticing. Created through a neurodivergent lens, Grey Area invites audiences to reconsider their relationship with the built environment — to pause, look again, and find moments of connection in the in-between.
Charles is a performance-maker and street artist whose practice is rooted in physical theatre, movement, and embodied exploration. His work often engages directly with public space and passers-by, creating gentle disruptions that offer alternative ways of experiencing the everyday. With Grey Area, he continues his exploration of how bodies and buildings interact and how a playful presence can quietly shift the atmosphere of a place. Grey Area doesn’t announce itself loudly. Instead, it unfolds in passing — surprising, disarming, and gently subversive. Rooted in Charles’s experience as a neurodivergent artist, the work follows instinct, sensory connection, and a deep responsiveness to space and audience.
At its heart, Grey Area is about presence: noticing the unnoticed, inviting play where it’s least expected, and bringing a splash of colour and curiosity to the concrete edges of city life.
Technical Information
Show Length: 30 - 40 minutes depending on site
Maximum number of shows per day: 2
Minimum length between shows: 1 Hour
Space:
Minimum performance space for pop up show: 5m x 5m. The work is made to adapt and bend around what space is available.
Minimum performance space for pre show parade: No minimum space but need street furniture to interact with such as railings, lampposts, bins and other street furniture.
Performance spaces must be communicated before performance day via photo/videos.
Show is designed for non traditional performance space. Think seating areas, steps, street furniture…
Sound:
The show tours with its own sound system. This is battery powered and is suitable for audiences up to 300 people.
Other Requirements:
2 hours (preferably the day before performances) to risk assess performance areas and rehearsal of bespoke elements.
Access to a tap for drinking water.
A clean, warm, dry space for changing and warm-up. Ideally this space would have power to charge speaker battery.
When doing multiple Performances overnight storage is required.
Suitable for
Events:
Street Festivals, Outdoor Arts Events, Community Events and Rural Tours.
Audience:
Family audiences of all ages
A particular interest in engaging neurodivergent children and adults but for all who are interested.
Highly visual and non-verbal show suitable for international audiences.
“It was really funny, uplifting and colourful. It made me feel very joyful and was definitely the highlight of my festival.”