Making Dreamers come true
Dreamers creator, writer and executive producer Lisa Holdsworth explains how she found the balance between drama and authenticity in this Channel 4 drama about a group of dance students. Dreamers follows an eclectic group of dance students as they navigate the intense highs and lows of coming of age in today’s complex world – captured through stories that are as joyful and funny as they are raw and truthful, brought viscerally to life via irresistible dance choreography. The show, produced by Duck Soup Films for Channel 4 and distributed by All3Media International, tells the story of the Chapeltown Collective dance troupe and their journey to the most important dance showcase of their young lives. But it’s also a drama about the things young people really care about: friendship, family and having the chance to express themselves. Its stories and characters are a product of a unique and immersive development process that I believe gave the show a unique and authentic voice. There is an industry theory about writing teenagers. The maxim is that US TV portrays young characters as they see themselves: wise beyond their years, emotionally intelligent and on the cusp of manifest destiny. Meanwhile, UK TV writes teenagers as adults see them: stroppy and annoying – the suggestion being that American writers treat their teens as young adults while UK writers treat them like kids. I don’t think that’s strictly true, and UK shows like Skins, Sex Education and Heartstopper have given us rounded characters with rich inner … Continue reading Making Dreamers come true
