02 December 2018
Newsdesk
Playwright Tatty Hennessy's acclaimed coming of age story about grief, courage and polar bears returns after a run at VAULT Festival earlier this year for a UK tour, including a London run. A Hundred Words for Snow is a journey of epic proportions in every sense - through grief, adolescence and across the Arctic - as it follows Rory on her mission to get the ashes of her Arctic enthusiast dad to the North Pole, whilst discovering the full extent of the planet's destruction and a lot about herself along the way.
After winning the Origin's Award for outstanding work at VAULT Festival 2018 and the Arcola Theatre’s Heretic Voices Award for best new plays in monologue form, A Hundred Words for Snow will once again be directed by Lucy Jane Atkinson, one of The Stage's 'top talents to watch from VAULT Festival 2018'. As expectations of what women can and can't do melt away at the same rate as the polar ice caps, Rory demonstrates with warmth and wit that polar exploration is no longer solely the domain of men, and that our planet is in desperate need of saving.
Playwright Tatty Hennessy said, “As a female and feminist playwright, I’m excited to write a piece of serious drama focused on a teenage girl, one that takes her difficulties and desires seriously, especially at a time when the pressures and constraints on young women are so varied and complex. It also looks at our relationship with the planet, the delicate interconnectedness of nature and our impact on the earth, sadly all the more relevant in the wake of the UNs stark and startling Climate Change Report.”
As part of the research process for A Hundred Words for Snow, renowned polar explorer and author Felicity Aston MBE has acted as a consultant.
Since graduating from LAMDA’s Post Graduate Director’s course in 2014, director Lucy Jane Atkinson has focused primarily on new writing, working across a wide range of projects, from intimate short plays to large scale immersive experiences, musicals, and devised pieces. During this time she has directed work by award winning playwrights Camilla Whitehill, John O’Donovan, Tristan Bernays, Milly Thomas, Isley Lynn, and Susie Sillett, among others. Lucy was recently named one of The Stage’s Top Talents To Watch from VAULT Festival 2018.
RJG Productions is run by Rebecca Gwyther who works as a freelance producer. She is currently producing A Hundred Words for Snow (VAULT Festival, UK Tour & London Run (TBA)) and Scum (research and development). Recently she has produced, Misfire (Cardiff Fringe & Ventnor Fringe), Precisionism (Where We Are Now LGBT+ Festival & The Hope Theatre), Great Again: The Musical (VAULT Festival), What Goes on in Front of Closed Doors (Pleasance Courtyard & UK Tour) and Finders Keepers for Hot Coals Theatre (ZOO. Rebecca is a Producer for Old Sole Theatre Company and has also worked in press and marketing at C venues and Summerhall during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe and on a freelance basis in London.
Tatty Hennessy is a graduate of the Royal Court and Lyric Young Writer’s Programmes. Her last play, a new adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen, was commissioned by Theatre N16 for Christmas and revived due to demand for Easter. Her previous play All That Lives was developed in association with Ovalhouse for a sold-out run in their studio space. She has written new work for Emerge, The Miniaturists and Little Pieces of Gold, and was commissioned by LAMDA to write an original play, Immaculate, for their students. Tatty was commissioned by the National Youth Theatre to write F Off, a play in response to social media, for a showcase at the Criterion in the West End. She is passionate about tackling big ideas through small lenses and telling stories with ambition and heart.
Gemma Barnett is a recent graduate from the Oxford School of Drama. Her recent credits include Matt Parvin’s Cousins (Soho Theatre), Ella Road’s Roosting (Park Theatre), Rehearsed reading of Camilla Whitehill’s Oil and Matter (Bunker Theatre) (Damsel Develops) and Josie-Dale Jone’s Flog (Camden People’s Theatre). Prior to training Gemma, as an associate artist of ThisEgg, co-wrote and performed Goggles, which won the NSDF Edinburgh Emerging Artist’s Award and is now being published by Oberon.
@RJGProductions | #HundredWords | rebeccagwyther.co.uk
Running Time: 1hr | Suitable for ages 14+
Company Information
Performed by Gemma Barnett Directed by Lucy Jane Atkinson
Produced by Rebecca Gwyther Lighting design by Lucy Adams
Sound design by Mark Sutcliffe
Listings information
4 – 7 Feb Warwick Arts Centre, Coventry (as part of SOLO Fest)
University of Warwick, Coventry CV4 7AL
024 7652 4524 | www.warwickartscentre.co.uk
9 Feb Mill Studio at Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Guildford
Yvonne Arnaud Theatre, Millbrook, Guildford, Surrey GU1 3UX
8pm | £15
01483 44 00 00 | www.yvonne-arnaud.co.uk
19 Feb Jubilee Hall, Aldeburgh
Crabbe Street, Aldeburgh, Suffolk IP15 5BN
Tickets available in person or via phone from Aldeburgh Cinema 10am-1.15pm
01728 454884 | www.aldeburghjubileehall.co.uk
22 Feb The Spring Arts & Heritage Centre, Havant
56 East St, Havant PO9 1BS
7.30pm | £12.50 (Concs. £11.50)
023 9247 2700 | www.thespring.co.uk
26 Feb The Garage, Norwich
14 Chapel Field N, Norwich NR2 1NY
8pm | £15 (Concs. £9)
01603 598 646 | www.thegarage.org.uk
28 Feb The Riverfront, Newport
Kingsway, Newport NP20 1HG
01633 656757 | http://www.newportlive.co.uk/venues/the-riverfront
5 – 30 Mar Trafalgar Studios, London
14 Whitehall, Westminster, London SW1A 2DY
7.45pm (matinees Thursdays and Saturdays, 3pm) | £30 - £15
0844 871 7632 | www.trafalgarentertainment.com
