Three extraordinary pieces exploring women at war in the twentieth century.
Pam Gems' "lost" play My Name is Rosa Luxemburg by Pam Gems, rediscovered and developed for WCS, looks at a heroine for our times. Catriona Kerridge’s acclaimed dark comedy Shoot! I Didn’t Mean That explores disaster tourism and protest in contemporary Britain. And Peter Cox’s play with songs The Question is a kaleidoscopic journey through protest and identity in post-WW1 Europe.
SHOOT! I DIDN'T MEAN THAT by Catriona Kerridge
"If I'd been drunk that would have made sense. A drunk Brit abroad. But no, I was sober…"
With a ‘siege heil’ here and a bang bang there, this dark comedy by Catriona Kerridge (Come to Where I'm From, Paines Plough) follows an interpreter, a tourist and two schoolgirls as they descend into a world of war crimes and disaster tourism. Cast includes Alicia Ambrose-Bailey, Sara Huxley, Elly Yates and Emily Bairstow.
Shoot! was originally produced by Time Zone Theatre and supported by the ACF London. It was performed alongside The Last Night, the epilogue of Karl Kraus’ satirical anti-war play The Last Days of Mankind. UK playwright Catriona Kerridge was selected from an open call to create a new work inspired by Kraus.
THE QUESTION - a play with music by Peter Cox
A kaleidoscopic pilgrimage through post WW1 Europe. Against the backdrop of political turmoil in the Weimar Republic, Peter Cox's new play explores the liberated and sophisticated Cabaret clubs of ‘20s Berlin and glimpses ahead to the bleak and vicious world of the Gulags. The Question looks at the impact of political upheaval on the lives of five characters: poet and playwright Bertolt Brecht, writer Lion Feuchtwanger, Erika the Cocotte, Volker the soldier, and Marta the dissident. Ensemble includes Natasha Rickman, Katie Brennan, Jim Barclay, Rich Dolphin, Sarah Gabriel, Richard Maxted and Peter Kenwrothy, with musical direction by Christopher Ash.
MY NAME IS ROSA LUXEMBURG by Pam Gems
Drawn from letters and speeches by Rosa Luxemburg.
A leading social and political figure in post-WW1 Germany, Rosa Luxemburg was one of the greatest theoretical minds of the European socialist movement. Imprisoned countless times for her beliefs and murdered at the age of 48, her ferocious dedication to feminism arguably marks her out as a heroine for our times. Created from Luxemburg's letters and speeches, Pam Gems' piece charts the key moments of this extraordinary life.
