Outside, a storm is raging. Inside, a darkened room preserves the fragments of a past underneath dust sheets. Sea-shells, voices, yellowing postcards: the flotsam and jetsam of a childhood spent beach-combing on the coast of Brittany. Stories emerge: of treasure found in tidal ponds, and women metamorphosing into serpents. But beneath the floorboards, the creaking groans of whales warn of unsettled futures.
In a sparkling one-woman performance that blends poetry with theatre, Anglo-Breton poet Claire Trévien navigates a shifting maritime landscape. Memory and myth from the Celtic fringe are transformed by her surreal, playful poetry – critically acclaimed, and longlisted for the 2013 Guardian First Book Award. In her stage debut, Trevien evokes the sounds, sights and rich scents of the sea. But beneath the surface, a violent undercurrent stirs. What will she discover in the sodden debris? Will the storm break in?
Creative team
Writer/performer: Claire Trévien
Producer/director: Tom Chivers
Consultant director: Russell Bender
Music/sound design: Oliver Barrett
Set design: Gary Campbell
Lighting design: Claire Childs
Production assistant: Nick Murray
Perfumer: Sarah McCartney, 4160 Tuesdays
Photography: Field & McGlynn
Co-commissioned by Penned in the Margins and Ledbury Poetry Festival. Supported using public funding by Arts Council England. Development supported by Canada Water Culture Space and Rich Mix.
