The cast has been announced for Proteus Theatre’s adaptation of Angela Carter’s grisly fairytale collection The Bloody Chamber (and Other Stories).
The ensemble cast is made up of Jessica Andrade (Around the World in 80 Days, UK tour), Megan Brooks (Igloo, Bristol Old Vic), Ashley Christmas (The Rise and Fall of Little Voice, Hull Truck Theatre), Anesta Mathurin (The Way Out, BBC4) and Lorraine Moynehan (Trapeze, English National Ballet).
The Bloody Chamber will be brought to the stage using circus techniques. Proteus Theatre are working with leading circus professionals Silvia Fratelli from Mimbre, Charlotte Mooney from Ockham’s Razor, and Tamzen Moulding, Artistic Director of Inverted Theatre to help choreograph the piece.
The production will also have an original soundtrack with musical direction, arrangements, and sound design by Max Reinhardt (BBC Radio 3 Late Junction) and original composition by Paul Wild, who previously worked with Proteus Theatre on their adaptation of Macbeth.
The Bloody Chamber (and Other Stories) are famous for telling fairy tales from the female gaze. Director Mary Swan said: “Women are always being told what we can and can’t do in order to avoid being assaulted, while on the other hand also promoting sexual fulfilment by catering to the male gaze.
“Circus inverts the world: defying gravity, contorting the bounds of physical movement, and embracing the human connection to do the impossible. It’s perfect for making familiar situations entirely surreal and surreal situations quite familiar; it’s perfect for challenging what’s socially acceptable for no good reason.”
The Bloody Chamber will run on 11 and 12 June at Pavilion Theatre. Tickets are available online.
Words by Orla McAndrew
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