‘Her Story’ is becoming prominent in our current era – a vital step towards fleshing out a more nuanced perspective of history from the many women that have shaped and continue to shape our world. This is an exciting time historically for expanding the history books – Tudor England a significant part of British history characterised by King Henry VIII’s reign (1509-1547) and the formation of the Church of England. As well as the reign of his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I over a decade after his passing (1558-1603). Renowned for the fact that he married six times, which was unconventional for the time, this part of history is framed from the perspective of a victorious King Henry, however – seldom do we hear about the lives of those around him. Cue Toby Marlow’s and Lucy Moss’ much loved musical Six, placing the voices of his six wives at the fore – something that would have tapped into the zeitgeist in 2018, peaking interest – and with that, starting a chain reaction of looking at more women-led stories in this way!
The funeral of a loved one can be that life changing event that brings together long lost relatives and friends who otherwise wouldn’t have connected, or through time have lost contact. A time to say final goodbyes, the confrontation of life and death is stark. Exploring what these interactions look like, Blue Pear Productions’ Drop Dead reunites six souls all brought together to rehearse the funeral of Mr Bebach, an enigmatic wealthy extraordinaire. What ensues is an absurd encounter, one filled with plenty of comical twists and turns.
Developing a sense of self, particularly when having endured a traumatising life journey brings with it a sense of pride. The trials and tribulations endured seeming never ending when experienced, the bonds we form and the choices we make amongst this claustrophobic backdrop the much needed difference between a life of pain or a life of hope. Originally published in 1982, and winning the Pulitzer Prize in 1983, Alice Walker’s The Color Purple has gone onto become a real source of hope snd inspiration to women within hostile situations. 40 years on, the original film adaptation is reimagined for a 2023 audience, writers Alice Walker, Marsha Norman and Marcus Gardley penning the modern classic, which director Blitz Bazawule validates with an authentic visual eye.
105 years since the end of World War I, or would have been known as The Great War at the time, we step into a time whereby the cusp of a global conflict appears very possible, current world events creating a ripple effect, impacting the geopolitics of the day. Crafted over 50 years ago, post World War II, Oh What a Lovely War offered a satirical historical lesson on the events that led up to, and inevitably formed the four year conflict – addressing the necessity to look back, to hopefully avoid what became one of the most catastrophic world events.
When you’ve stepped out of a traumatising situation do you really start to comprehend the experiences you’ve gone through – for victims of domestic abuse, the emotional and psychological toll can prove overwhelming to process. Victims often fearful and shrouded in shame, male domestic abuse a sad underreported reality due to the misconception of men not being victims. Bravely exploring this sensitive subject matter, Ronan Dempsey presents The Words Are There, a necessary, unfiltered observation of the insidious nature of domestic abuse and how it very slowly takes away a victim’s light.
