With Thanks To:
Lucy Ellinson, Christopher Hall, Kamal Birdi, Tom Draper, Stella McCabe, Hannah Nicklin; all of the staff at ARC Stockton, Theatre in the Mill, the Montgomery Theatre and Sheffield Theatres; Margaret Bowyer, Mary Walton, Barry Ryan and Simon Henderson.
The soundtrack includes a sample from Little Richard’s The Girl Can’t Help It.
Produced by Dep Arts & Third Angel.
Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
Supported by ARC Stockton, Theatre in the Mill, Bradford, and a private donor.
Reviews:
★★★★★ “Imaginatively stark… brilliantly thought out. Third Angel examines our obsession with fame, fortune and celebrity in an extraordinary telling of an ordinary story. In their distinctive style, Third Angel co-founder Rachael Walton and performer Nick Chambers create the world of Rachel, a character we never meet, with string and scissors, light, shade, and paper butterflies. By looking at the intimate details and moments of beauty in a run-of-the-mill life, they question why it is that people strive for fame, and whether it makes you a ‘somebody’.”
LondonTheatre1.com
“a masterclass in experimentation with theatrical form”
The Public Reviews
“the visual payoff [is] sublime… It is well worth getting to know Rachel, whoever she is…”
The Guardian
“really beguiles… full of beautifully intimate moments that stick in the mind for long after the lights come up”
Exeunt Magazine
★★★★ “artistic, fearless and delicate…a beautifully crafted, innovative piece of contemporary art, commenting on the collective desperation to be a “somebody” evident in our society that alters our perceptions of success and happiness.”
The Upcoming
Programme Notes
What you see this evening is the end of what seems like a long journey.
The starting point for this show was conceived a couple of years ago in the form of a half hour monologue written to be part of an evening commissioned by Queer Up North and Theatre in the Mill.
Since then a lot has changed.
We’ve moved into the Crucible and restructured the company. We are working with external producers for the first time. The show has moved from being a solo piece to a two hander. What was originally the story of a young woman joining the circus is now so much more.
When we arrived at ARC in Stockton at the start of this rehearsal process back in September last year, we were confident we knew exactly what was going to happen; and, as is the way with devising, we were wrong.
Since then we have imagined a fantastical world of theatre-past mixed with something akin to The Hunger Games. We have planned a show without any words at all. We’ve considered the show not being in a theatre, but a mini Big Top in a field outside the city (be glad we ditched that one, you’ll all be a lot warmer tonight). When devising a show the possibilities often seem endless. We always make far more material than eventually makes the cut and it’s always hard to say goodbye to sections that just don’t fit.
But some things remain the same. In making The Life and Loves of a Nobody, Alex and I wanted to return to the way we made shows in the early days. We wanted to experiment with form and visual ideas. We wanted to create an energy in the making room that would allow anything to happen. We wanted to explore the relationship we have with you, the audience. I think, and I hope, we succeeded.
I’ve enjoyed being back in the fold and making this show more than words can say. We have had a fantastic team. But my thanks must also go to Joseph Grimaldi, a performer, a clown and an inspiration from the 19th century, whose biography reminded me why theatre is a magical place.
Thank you for coming this evening. We hope you enjoy the show.
Rachael Walton, January 2014
