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Motherland “He was a boy. I loaned my son to them to do a job. I didn’t say you could keep him.” Motherland is a powerful and moving dramatisation of conversations with wives, girlfriends and mothers of military personnel serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. These north east women share their incredibly moving and hard hitting stories with warmth, humour and candour. A word from the Director Motherland was conceived back in autumn 2007. We were interested in uncovering stories from women whose experiences as wives, girlfriends and mothers and service personnel seemed largely hidden. Over the next four months the cast and I interviewed women from all over the north east. It’s been an intriguing, challenging and moving experience for all of us. Some of the women and their families have escaped unscathed, some haven’t; such is the lottery of war. The women we’ve worked with have let us into their homes and their lives and we’re incredibly grateful for their generosity and enthusiasm. We view these women as collaborators not subjects and the text of the play is comprised entirely of words spoken by them. Almost twenty hours of interviews have been collected, collated and edited together to create Motherland. These stories are not just relevant to the women and communities of the north east but resonate far beyond. Steve Gilroy, writer & director Reviews “The pleasure of this piece is that, unlike a great deal of verbatim theatre which is issue-based and tells you what you already know, this is entirely about the personal. As a result it is all the more revealing, because it offers up not just a snapshot of the state of the nation, but more importantly the state of the nation's hearts. Its immense power lies in its utter no-frills ordinariness…Everyday life has never been quite as riveting as it is in this honest, beautifully produced little show.” Lyn Gardner, The Guardian “…a beautifully acted, effectively wrought assemblage of testimonials from the wives, mothers, sisters and lovers of British soldiers fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq. Spare and refreshingly devoid of sentimentality, Mr. Gilroy’s play presents the women as whole human beings with long histories and associations, not just as grief-ravaged victims of the war.” Charles Isherwood The New York Times Find out more… If you are interested in finding out more information about Motherland including technical and touring information and a marketing pack please contact: Caroline Routh The Empty Space +44 (0)7710 745540 [email protected] Motherland Reviews “Combines a great sense of tragedy with a powerful sense of humour” “Everyday life has never been quite as riveting as it is in this honest, beautifully produced little show.” “One of the highlights of the Fringe this year” “A near perfect piece of verbatim theatre.” “Best bet at this year’s festival” Motherland Awards Winner Winner Winner Fringe” 2008 Fringe First 2008 Best Ensemble The Jack Tinker “Spirit of the Production Shots Charlotte Binns in Motherland The cast of Motherland: L-R Rachel Adamson, Eleanor Clarke, Helen Embleton and Charlotte Binns. General Background Information Live Theatre When Live Theatre was founded in 1973 it was to create plays with a strong regional identity for north east audiences and, in particular, for people who didn’t usually go to the theatre. Over 35 years later, the company has a fantastic, well equipped theatre in which to perform its plays, but the mission to create work which is challenging, popular and relevant to all, remains as important as ever. The company is now recognised as one of the country’s leading new writing theatres and has gained a fantastic reputation for the way it finds, nurtures and develops regional talent. In September 2007 Live Theatre reopened following a major £5.5 million redevelopment. The new space combined with the theatre’s commitment to new writing has positioned Live Theatre at the forefront of Newcastle’s emergence as one of the country’s most exciting artistic and cultural regional capitals. Recent successes include The Pitmen Painters, written by Lee Hall (Billy Elliot) and directed by Live Theatre’s Artistic Director Max Roberts, which won Best Play at this year’s TMA Awards. The production will return to the National Theatre in January 2009 as well as being translated into German for a run in Vienna in April 2009. Live Theatre is grateful to the following organisations for revenue funding: Arts Council England, Newcastle City Council, Coastal Productions and the BBC. The Empty Space The Empty Space was established in 2007 as a theatre development agency to support performing artists in the north east of England. The company provides advice and practical and creative help in many forms, whilst focusing its most in-depth support on work that challenges the boundaries of traditional theatre. Since its inception The Empty Space has worked with upwards of forty artists, premiering three shows at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in 2008, building links with a large number of promoters and producers and setting up a successful training and professional development strand that has brought internationally acclaimed artists into the region to provide masterclasses and workshops for a range of performers. Although relatively new, the company has achieved much in its first eighteen months of operation and is now recognised in the region as “a fantastic asset to the north east theatrical landscape”. The Empty Space is grateful to the following organisations for their funding support: Northern Rock Foundation, Arts Council England and the European Regional Development Fund. Technical information Set The set for Motherland is being redesigned for the tour but is expected to consist mainly of a cyclorama at the back of the stage; the remainder of the set will be minimal. The playing area (excluding the cyc) needs to be a minimum of 5m wide by 3m deep and clearance should ideally be 3.5 – 4 m. No masking is required. The piece can be performed end-on or in the thrust. The show includes projection. Lighting Lighting plan will be supplied ahead of time, subject to redesign of show. Sound PA and two mini-discs required at venue. Get-in and out The get-in can be done on the day of the performance and will require approximately 6 hours (this figure will be reduced if a pre-rig is possible). Get-out will take place immediately after the final performance and will take a maximum of two hours. Crew The show tours with two stage managers. Show staff (other than duty) will only be required in venues where DSM cannot operate lighting, sound and AV from one position. Additional staff over and above the contract should not be required for get-in/out. It is strongly recommended that a site visit is arranged with our Production Manager to confirm minimal technical requirements.