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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).

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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

                                                        

                         

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