Metamorphoses:
a work-in-progress by
in situ:
using stories from Ovid's Metamorphoses
The Performers:
Tony Barrs
Leon Coleman
Rachael Duthie
Tanya Jarvis
Gabi Kaminski
Demosthenes Tambakis
Matthew Wollerton
Helen Zhang
directed by: Richard Spaul
The Performance:
Metamorphoses is a work-in-progress. It's the first term of a year-long project, culminating in performances for
the general public in Summer, 2007. So it's at an early stage, but it's very useful for us to be able to show the
work to an audience so early on - it will help us to determine what works and what doesn't and how to take things
further.
This term we've worked mostly on storytelling techniques - different means of making a story interesting in the
telling; but we've also done some work on The Voice - especially how to use the voice to create an environment
for spoken text, and we've worked on how to create a Chorus.
You'll see all of these elements in the performance.
Ovid's Metamorphoses:
Ovid was a Roman poet, whose most famous work was written shortly before the birth of Christ.
It's a collection of hundreds of stories, which all have one thing in common: changes of shape. They're mostly
stories from Ancient Greece and in them, people turn into animals and plants, men change into women and back
again, heroes turn into stars, statues turn into living people, and so on.
Each actor has chosen a story to tell: you'll hear Echo and Narcissus; the Death of Hercules; the Birth and Deeds
of Bacchus; King Midas; Salamancis and Hermaphroditus; Erisychthon and his shapeshifting daughter; and the
Tragedy of Pyramus and Thisbe. The performers tell these stories largely in their own words, but occasionally
quote lines from Ted Hughes' remarkable translation entitled Tales from Ovid.
The performance lasts approximately 40 minutes. There is no interval.
Smoking and the drinking of alcohol is not allowed anywhere on the premises.
Please switch off your mobile phones during the performance.
in situ:’s theatre courses are open to all regardless of previous acting experience. If you want to know more about
them, or about our performances and residencies, or if you wish to join our free mailing list, please call us on:
01223 211451, email us on: info@insitutheatre.co.uk or visit our website at: www.insitutheatre.co.uk
We hope you enjoy METAMORPHOSES. If so, we hope you'll consider coming to see some more of in situ:'s
work.
Our next production, taking place in The House, is entitled Who's that Woman buried out in Greenlawn
Cemetery ?, and is an exploration of Alfred Hitchcock 's famous thriller: Psycho.
That's on from Monday December 4 until Saturday December 9. Tickets are: £11/£9 and are available at
the above number.