'After Her Death' gallery... click on thumbnails to enlarge image...
'After
Her Death' background...
“After Her Death”, a comedy
that looks at the universal theme of mother/daughter relationships
and raised awareness concerning the effects of homophobia, eating
disorders and unintended pregnancy on young women/women. Showcased
at The Live Theatre, Newcastle in 1998, the response from audiences
and funders was tremendous.
"After Her Death"
was first toured regionally in 1999 and then again in 2002. The
production, plus drama workshops, reached over 7000 people.
'After Her Death' The Story...
With the supernatural power to start and
stop time with a single clap, four mothers, whether following their offspring
to the swimming pool or the loo, tell of their troubled past and
their often fraught relationships with their “girls”:
jobless but jobbing DIY-er Lisa; Ann – a lesbian trying to
juggle being manager at the DSS, her partner Colette, and their
joint 3 kids; Frances – a 20 something dinner lady and mum
of two, and Sian – the insecure, tactless and middle-class
daughter of aspirational harridan Doreen.
Bonding over tequila slammers,
the infamous compere Dougie Brown and a heavenly voice, this tragic-comic
tale shows how the girls’ mothers, rightly or wrongly, have
influenced their way of life, fed their insecurities, and made them
the women who they are today.
'After Her Death' Comments...
“The
play was proper class. It was a belta laugh and we’ve learnt
a lot.”
“Wonderful and brave. Thank
you for portraying women with dignity and respect.”
“I learnt not to be nasty to
lesbians because they are no different to any body else.”
“Open Clasp
don’t shirk when it comes to tackling issues we’d
rather not think about…there strength is that they make
realism entertaining and accessible; allowing us to either
peek into a worlds we know little about, or one we know only
too well – and give some the strength to make changes.”
The Crack 2002
'After Her
Death' was supported by...
The following groups directly
informed the creation of ‘After Her Death’
Sacred Heart Roman Catholic School. Bede Community Centre, Gateshead.
Riverside Centre, Young Mothers Unit – Meadowell. West End
Women & Girls Centre. Tyneside Young Lesbian Project.
The following funders supported this project:
Newcastle City Council. Northern Arts – Regional Arts Lottery
Programme. Greggs Trust.. Community Foundation; The Women’s
Fund. Hadrian Trust. A&E Education Trust. Northern Electric+Gas.
