"I wanted to send you belated thanks for taking part in Off the Shelf. We were delighted to have Lady of Situations as part of our festival programme this year. I thought it was a great show - beautiful words, stunning set,  haunting music and a really original concept" 
Maria DeSouza Arts Officer, Off the Shelf Festival of Words
November 2016

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Amanda Huxtable, Director - 

I was delighted to be invited by Seni Seniviratne and Shirley Harris Vanitas Arts to support their collaborative production Lady Of Situations. 

I have had a long standing respect for Seni's work and  looked forward to developing a new creative relationship with Shirley Harris multi media artist. I was able to use my skills in my film training by understanding a little of the process of editing and therefore respecting and supporting both artists needs. 

The process was core value driven with the importance of creative collaboration at the forefront using critical analysis, environmental concerns, gender politics, and celebrating difference.  This was reflected in the diversity of the team. Vanitas Arts were successful in producing a unique and unusual team made up of recent graduates, non performers and established theatre makers as well as themselves to create a powerful work of art for purpose.  

The production itself had at its heart a female centred collective experience, a  range of training and experience in both arts practice and community discourse and challenged  the audience to examine the potential consequences of taking action to support yourself and others or the potential impact of doing nothing. 

Th experience of directing this production  has many highlights for me, one being observing three generations of the same family deeply engaged with the work, one being the writer,  another one of the performers and the other a  young woman in the audience viewing her Mother and Grandmothers work. I don't underestimate the potential impact this powerful and unique experience could have. Perhaps inspiring a hopeful generation.

Thank you for the opportunity to work with you. 

http://www.amandahuxtable.co.uk​

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COMMENTS COLLECTED BY THE OFF THE SHELF TEAM AT THE LAUNCH OF LADY OF SITUATIONS AT THEATRE DELICATESSEN - 25TH OCTOBER 2016
 
“I thought the piece was a triumph in the way that all the elements were brought together. It was profoundly moving and well-acted"

Visually stunning.”

“Multi layered. Thought provoking. I liked the combination of music / visuals / words/ images” 

“Fantastic! Complex and rich Interplay of visuals, soundtrack, live music, reading, symbolism etc“

“Stunning film, cello music, very moving”

“Extraordinary – The story’s derivation is unknown to me and yet the fabulous set, the composure of the speech and the listening and particularly the beautiful music pulled it and kept it all together as an extraordinary and haunting dream I will never forget”

“Welcoming venue, well-staged event, beautifully directed, designed and performed”

“Amazing, Moving and Innovative”

“Amazing! Loved the weaving together of words, music and installation”




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Audience Comments collected from the two performances at Exchange Place Studios on the 25 November 2016

FEEDBACK FROM  25th NOVEMBER PERFORMANCE OF LADY OF SITUATIONS – Exchange Place Studios, Sheffield
 
'Beautifully remarkable.  Remarkably beautiful.  A poignant mixture of sensuous experiences: intriguing, emotional and inspirational.  You took me on a journey to a special place – one that is freeing and evocative; thoughtful and spiritual.  Beauty in essence and form.  Props were masterful and sound resonant of all levels of feelings.  Poised movements intoned words shed light on our own personal stories and our troubled world.  Images and words will be carried with me as my voice lifts within the trees.'
 
'Blessings' AW
 
'It is a joy – and very healing to watch something when you can feel that every detail has been thought about and polished to shine the deep meanings without laboring them. The tree silhouettes with their wonderful hand-like twigs reaching out to the sky were very atmospheric in the half-light adding to the tension and horror evoked by the story.

'Unfortunately I couldn’t see all the projection images but felt them to be very powerful, transporting us into another reality. 
The cello music was haunting and beautiful, perfect in its commentary on the action.'

'The acting completed the casting of the spell, which kept me enthralled at the evocation of deep mysteries of transformation in our lives.'

'All in all magical.  You must be planning to do more performances.  There are many more people who would like to see it – including me again.  (Though it seemed right to perform it in such an intimate space with a limited number of the audience. '
 Shena Moore
 [email protected] (Please put me on your mailing list)
 
 'Cello –superb crying, keening, sighing'
 
'Philomela – we had to feel our way into her dumbness and experience'
 
'Tiresias – what it is to be blind, beautifully performed'
 
'Studio – small was good in one sense, but we couldn’t see more than a bit of the wall projection, or Tiresias’ entry point.'
 
'It was a moving event – coherent, moving progressing beautifully.'
 
'A powerful experience – hard to write whilst I’m still under its spell'
 
'Lots to absorb….'
 
'Very powerful, thought the performance here at Exchange Place more intimate and felt more immersed.'
 
'Beautifully performed.'

'The live music added to the atmospheric qualities.'

'Interesting that the white clothing became black clothing, as she grew wings to fly.  Against the ‘norm’ of black to white.  Not that I need to know – but did it also illustrate the dissociation involved with trauma?'

'Beautiful.  Thank you.' 

 'Very powerful and evocative – a fully engaging, thought provoking piece.  Fabulous.' 
 

 'Beautifully performed and executed.  Lovely set and words to remember. '
 

'Thank you for asking us tonight.  Very powerful – but then it was always going to be!!  Really enjoyed seeing how all the elements we have heard about fitted together.  Seemed to be well received.  Hope you and Seni are pleased.'
Gill Gibson
 

The quality and production of your work is fabulous.  Could you have a session with students this week or a show of your film this week with SIA?
 
'Thanks for the performance.  Really great.'  Dillon Marsh
 

'Very affected by the performance last night.  As was said a t the beginning a production to be experienced – haunting, moving, spellbinding are words that come to mind but also much that cannot be put into words.' Brian Daines
 

'Last night on my way home with my hand on my heart looking forward to thinking about this work for days to come.  Thank you.'


'This feedback shows collaboration works, thanks to all involved.' Amanda Wells
 

'Brilliant and many congratulations.  Very well deserved.' Gill Alderson
 
*'Stunning photographs'
 
'Fabulous photographs' Jacky Kilvington

 'Yes, it’s all locked in my mind with fleeting, haunting imagery and the rich tapestry of music, voice and text.  I was struck by Tiresias’ blighted visionary sight and Philomela’s searching and penetrating look as the means by which they work together to enable Philomela’s flight to freedom.' 
 
'Awesome production.  Congratulations to you all.  Certainly gave me tingles down my spine. '
 
'Wow, s beautiful!'

 'Overall I thought that t was an ambitious project and I could see that it could move to the Crucible.  Currently it would hold as a sketch of an idea which has such current resonance with Rotherham.  Why not contact the new artistic director, Robert Hastie at the Crucible and pass it to him?  Just an idea.'
Pip Mctaggart

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