"...quite simply an outstanding night..."
"...defies adequate description ... phenomenal show."
"A trip to the tiny cinema to see Love Me Tender was yet another surprise in its beauty and emotional depth."
"Like all great art it has left me pondering and reliving the experience, as well as feeling grateful to the team of organizers who brought such quality to Nailsworth."
Stroud Life newspaper
In February 2009 I was lucky enough to take part in an extraordinary site-specific project based at Nailsworth's atmospheric Old Boy's Club building. Produced by Fairgame Theatre it brought together a wealth of talent both from the local community and further afield. The residency spanned over two weeks, with a team of designers first transforming the building, using every nook and cranny to create a stimulating, beautiful backdrop which would in turn inspire the group of performers and devisers who followed.
The performance examined the thoughts and memories of Rosemary, a Gloucestershire-born woman whose love of Elvis Presley and of life leads her to make drastic changes as she discards her humdrum existence in pursuit of a dream. Abandoned husband Stan finds consolation in a new life also, becoming a wanderer like William Henry Davies, the 'poet of the tramps' who lived for some years in Nailsworth. Davies' most famous poem 'Leisure' was a major source of inspiration for the project, and was adapted into a stunning unaccompanied choral song by composer Tom Johnson for the performance's finale.
I had a fantastic week working alongside an incredibly inspiring and diverse group of creative people, in particular director Greg Banks and director/choreographer Rob Tannion. I contributed as a physical performer in the intimate six-seater cinema scene dancing to Elvis' 'Love Me Tender' and in the large main hall choreographed sequences, and also as a musician and singer. It was a truly unforgettable experience for everyone involved, and we hoped for audiences too.
