The Artz Centre once again played host to a touring theatre production as we welcomed Certain Curtain Theatre Company and their play Lady in Red to Skelmerdale. The play was written and produced by creatives Claire Moore and John Woudberg who have been using theatre to help address social issues for almost 30 years.
The play intended to explore the topic of male violence against woman, as it followed the story of one woman’s (Rose) struggle against domestic violence. Despite the hard hitting genre, the play was incredibly poetic in its scripting, which seemed fitting as the date of the performance was on the birthday of William Shakespeare.
The script really made the audience think; nothing was too obvious and created a sense of the wide range of conflicting emotions that where taking up space in Rose’s head. The simplicity of the staging and the intimate nature of the piece allowed the small but attentive audience to emerge themselves into world of Rose and sample a little of the journey she was on.
The Artz Centre has made its name from large scale musicals that combine large casts and big production value with the intention to allow children to experience the world of musical theatre; but this was something completely different. Our Executive Director, Mark Ashton commented on the importance of doing both.
“It was great to welcome Claire and John to Artz Centre. The arts play a vital role in how we work, live, learn and play. Lady in Red was seeking to educate people on the dangers and nuances of this murky topic and it certainly did that for me. As much as we like to tell fantasy stories with big elaborate sets, colourful costumes and happy endings, it’s important that we also tell the real stories about life too. The play was cleverly written and extremely well performed; I also enjoyed gaining a slightly deeper insight in the Q and A session that followed. I look forward to seeing what comes next for Certain Curtain Theatre Company as they continue to use the arts as a vehicle for social change”
To learn more about their work and see where next for Lady in Red please visit.