Women who dare to transgress will face judgement
The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women is a bold theatrical experiment that unpacks the experiences of women who have been labelled transgressive across time. From the stories of historic and mythic figures to the personal testimonies of those on stage, we see women driven by their passions; women who have crossed the line between legal and illegal, moral and immoral, and as a result faced the laws of their time.
The production immerses its audience in the haze between the shared rituals of theatre and the halls of justice, as it invites us to reflect on our own gaze. We encounter fragments of women, from Medusa and Joan of Arc to Afeni Shakur and Angela Davis, as the actors on stage blend their own experiences with the stories and myths that form our collective judgement of women.
Commissioned by Clean Break and LIFT, in proud association with Brixton House, the production is created by Clean Break Member artists (women with experience of the criminal justice system or at risk of entering it) with boundary-breaking Brazilian theatre artists Janaina Leite and Lara Duarte, acclaimed for their documentary theatre approach and working with autobiography, and dramaturg Rachel Valentine Smith (UK Associate Artist).
The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women is co-created and performed by Clean Break Member artists: Sarah-Jane Dent (Clean Break’s Meal Ticket at Latitude Festival; Change, Union Theatre); Athena Maria (Inside This Box, Clean Break; Merry Wives of Windsor, Shakespeare’s Globe); Kim Teresa (KT) Marsh (All The Lights Are On, Clean Break; Maryland, Royal Court); Yvonne Wickham (Through This Mist, Clean Break; Road, Hoxton Hall; Cathy Come Home, Barbican/Cardboard Citizens); Dominique Lavine Wood-Whyte (Belong, Clean Break at Arcola and Lyric Hammersmith; Cathy Come Home, Barbican/Cardboard Citizens).
Clean Break and LIFT have been at the vanguard of social justice for over 40 years, bringing the world’s most exciting and provoking artists to London. The two companies collaborate for the first time, at a moment when art that challenges oppression and mobilises audiences to create change is needed more than ever.
Anna Herrmann, Artistic Director, Clean Break: “We are thrilled to be co-producing The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women with LIFT in association with Brixton House. This project offers us a unique opportunity to work with radical women artists from Brazil, and connect them with our own practice of care and storytelling to centre the stories and lives of our Members. It is a strong statement of our commitment to making bold and imaginative work which brings audiences closer to the lives of women facing the sharp end of the criminal justice system.
Partnering with LIFT has been a rich, invigorating experience, and performing at Brixton House feels the perfect home for this work, with its passion for connection, creativity and community. This work will be unlike anything you have seen from Clean Break before – prepare to be surprised, moved and enthralled!”
Janaina Leite: “During 15 years of research into ‘theatre of the real’, I have been fascinated by the idea of theatricality beyond theatre – exploring situations where performance, staging, rhetoric and dramatization become tools in real life. The Trials and Passions of Unfamous Women is a show that considers the relationship between theatre and the criminal justice system and the intermingling of ethics and aesthetics in these social and cultural practices. At the same time, none of this comes from a cold and distant perspective. On the contrary, choosing the idea of ‘passions’ as the heart of creation is about the real lived experiences of these more complex concepts. Our five actors on stage are bringing their own autobiographies to the stage, looking into their trials – judgements they have faced – and their passions -what has moved them in their lives. Here, they are not just their experiences, but creators in a theatre project. It is a great pleasure to create this with them and to establish this collaboration with Clean Break.”
Brixton House, 385 Coldharbour Lane, Brixton, London SW9 8GL
Dates + times: 14 – 22 June at 19:30; 19 + 22 June at 14:00
Box office: www.liftfestival.com
Tickets: previews (14 + 15 June) £15 / Concessions £18 / Standard £22
Age recommendation : 16+
Running time: 90 mins approx.
Post show discussion: Thursday 20 June
Information: www.liftfestival.com / www.cleanbreak.org.uk
