Preview: Blood on the Snow
Presented by Caroline Sabin
At Four Elms
19th-23rd December
2014
Caroline
Sabin returns to bring us another magical celebration of midwinter with her
latest creation Blood on the Snow.
In
2012 Sabin wowed audiences with her production A Curious Zoo in which she turned
her home into a festive wonderland filled with odd but fascinating characters. Similarly
Blood on the Snow will transport its
audience to a whole new world, where anything is possible.
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| Caroline Sabin as one of the dryads |
The
Four Elms building, usually home to NoFit State Circus, will be transformed
into an enchanted, snow-covered woodland for the upcoming original production. Featuring movement, text, song and aerial
acrobatics the show aims to rekindle the excitement and joy that Christmas
seems to have lost amid all the ‘Black Friday’ consumer madness.
Inspired
by music from Sabin’s childhood the score is complex and invigorating. Benjamin
Britten’s A Ceremony of Carols which
has pagan and Christian influences has acted as a starting point for the whole production.
Despite this the show is not based in religion, but in tradition and folklore. As
Sabin herself says, “the winter solstice actually marks the beginning of the
upward part of the year with the days getting longer. We need something in
midwinter to inspire hope”.
Devised
with an outstanding company the show promises to be technically beautiful and
entertaining. The mostly female cast is headed up by the wonderful Eddie Ladd
as leader of a group of dryads – tree nymphs – who will welcome the audience to
the woodland. They will sing, dance and even fly for our entertainment, each
with their own distinct and quirky character.
Rehearsals,
taking place at Chapter, hint at the bubbling excitement the production is
aiming for. Already the company have created sections of very varied moods –
from light, whimsical slapstick to darker, poetic intensity. The final
production will no-doubt be a beautifully crafted journey into the dark heart
of the forest through to the other side.
Unlike
the usual Christmas fare this show is aimed at adults, although there is
nothing included that would offend a younger audience. Sabin hopes that the
show will remind adults of how the festive season used to feel for them and
that they “can pass this excitement on to their children in turn.”
Tickets
for the performances are available from Chapter or NoFit
State. But be quick as all dates are selling quickly!
£12/£10/£8
@Bloodonthesnows
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