Musicians South West
A COMMUNITY INTEREST COMPANY
Women of World War One - A Tribute in Music, Words & Images
Scheduled to coincide with the centenary of the First World War, Women of World War One is a portrait of women's lives, created by Jacquelyn Bevan/Musicians South West in collaboration with Petra Schofield/Magic Penny Productions.
Women of all ages and backgrounds tell their experiences of living through the dramatic events of World War One. Their varied stories, drawn from letters, diaries, poems and autobiographies, are brought to life with music for piano and strings written by female composers of the era, among them Lili and Nadia Boulanger, Rebecca Clarke, Ethel Smyth, Alma Mahler, Mel Bonis and Muriel Herbert.
Women of World War One is directed by Petra Schofield who narrates alongside Barbara Ingledew, with music performed by Jacquelyn Bevan (piano), Jamie Hughes (violin) and Linda Stocks (cello).
A specially commissioned film by award-winning independent film-makers Liberty Smith and Polly Nash runs as a backdrop throughout the performance, 'in sync' with music and narrations.
"Now boys and girls, we're not going to let Kaiser Bill interfere with the Vic, and so we shall carry on with this beautiful play, and if you up there on the top shelf would feel any safer you can come down and sit in the stalls - and I won't charge you any extra."
Lilian Baylis
"England needs you to save her liberty and to protect her shores. Oh, men, need one say more? Wives, give up your husbands. Mothers send forth your sons. It is time the women rose and bid you go, or they must hang their heads for very shame before the brave women of other countries, who have given their all for their country's sake. Awake! awake! England needs her sons." Lady Selina Maxwell, Accrington Observer & Times, Saturday 29th August 1914
"Today I took a book, a cigarette, the 4 last Birch bullseyes and a sun umbrella to a green valley with a running stream where I paddled and dried my feet in the sun while Bristol fighters and tri-planes came and took photographs of them to send to HQ with their photos of German positions. Whatever lovely Peace is about you there is always War in the sky. Now it’s blue with larks singing in it."
K Evelyn Luard - 'Sister Kate', Diary, 4th June, 1917
Performance Dates 2014-18
Past performances: 2014
Sunday, 14th September, 5pm Midsomer Concert Hall, Town Hall, Midsomer Norton 01761 419133
Saturday, 20th September, 6pm Bridport Arts Centre 01308 424204
Saturday, 27th September, 7.30pm Corn Exchange, Blandford Forum, Dorset 01258 454500
Saturday, 4th October, 7.30pm St Nicholas' Church, Winsley nr Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire 01225 865797, script Megan Jones
Thursday, 9th October King's High School, Warwick (schools performance)
Sunday, 12th October, 7pm Bishop's Palace, Wells (Wells Festival of Literature) 01749 671770
Saturday, 18th October, 7.30pm St Swithin's Church, Bath (workshop 2.30-4pm, Gateway Centre) 01225 463362
Friday, 24th October, 7.30pm Castle Combe Village Hall, Wiltshire 01249 782821
Friday, 31st October, 7.30 Tudor Hall School, Banbury, Oxfordshire (schools performance)
Tuesday, 4th November, 7pm St Mary's School, Calne, Wiltshire 01249 857200
Saturday, 8th November, 7.30pm Christ Church, Frome 07595 671116 or Hunting Raven Bookshop
Saturday, 15th November, 7.30pm Bridgwater Arts Centre 01278 422700
Friday, 21st November, 7.30pm Marine Theatre, Lyme Regis, Dorset 01297 442394
Past performances: 2015
Thursday, 5th February, 7 for 7.30pm Red Maids School, Westbury on Trym, Bristol BS9 3AW tel. 0117 962 2641
Friday, 6th March, 8pm Tilham Farm, Baltonsborough, nr Glastonbury BA6 8QA tel. 01458 850281
Wednesday, 18th March, 7.30pm Stowe School, Buckinghamshire (school performance)
Saturday, 18th April, 7.30pm St Andrew's Church, Mells, Somerset Tickets Mells PO
Saturday, 9th May, 7.30pm Cossington Village Hall Tickets cossingtonvillagehall@gmail.com
Sunday, 31st May, 6.30pm Burdall's Yard, Bath BA1 5NH Tickets www.burdallsyard.org
Friday, 9th October, 7.30pm Kilmersdon Village Hall Tickets text 07595 671116
Monday, 19th October, 7.30pm Trowbridge Arts Centre Tel. 01225 774306
Thursday, 5th November, 7.30pm Kingswood School, Bath - school performance
Saturday, 7th November, 7.30pm Malmesbury Abbey Music Society tel. 01666 824924
Past performances: 2016
Saturday, 8th October, 7.30pm Wesley Hall, Paulton Methodist Church
Thursday, 20th October, 7.30pm Wells Museum, Rotary Members' performance SOLD OUT
Tuesday, 1st November, 7.30pm Keynsham Civic Centre, Avon WI Federation performance SOLD OUT
Past performances: 2017
Thursday, 6th April, 3pm Guildhall, Bath, for WRAC, organised by Paula Bartlett
Wednesday, 12th July, 7.30pm Motcombe WI
Thursday, 13th July, 7.30pm Enmore & District WI at Enmore Inn, nr Bridgwater TA5 2AH
In association with...
Women of World War One - A Tribute in Music, Words & Images
