THE CITADEL, ST HELENS               Waterloo Street, St Helens, WA10 1PX Box Office 01744 735436        www.citadel.org.uk                                Tues 23rd October 2001, 8pm      

WESTBOURNE COMMUNITY CENTRE Westbourne Road, West Kirby, Wirral, L48 4DQ   Box Office 0151 625 0344 or 020 8802 2372/07740 983842                    Wed 24th October 2001, 8pm

SOUTHPORT ARTS CENTRE                   Lord Street, Southport, PR8 1DB          Box Office 01704 540011 www.seftonarts.co.uk                           Thurs 25th October 2001 8pm  

FORMBY LITTLE THEATRE          Rosemary Lane, Formby, Liverpool          Tickets 020 8802 2372 or 07740 983842 Tues 30th October 2001 8pm  

THE ETCETERA THEATRE                 above the Oxford Arms Pub,                  265 Camden High St., London NW1 7BU Box Office 020 7482 4857                     Sat 3rd & Sun 4th November, 2pm

by Caroline Baillie

incorporating the poetry

of William Blake

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Lyca lives on the streets of London, in a bewildered yet somehow stable equilibrium.  Hardened to homeless life her soul was lost long ago, locked away by a disadvantaged past.  However, when Liverpudlian passer-by Andrea befriends her she is cast into the turmoil of regeneration and, as the friendship and trust develop, she runs the gamut of emotions that eventually find her soul recaptured, rebuilt.

William Blake speaks on behalf of Lyca’s unuttered thoughts, mirroring her evolving situation through the ‘characters’ of Innocence and Experience.

The inner struggle between these complimentary parts, the imagination and the reason, causes fissures and a frightening battle ensues, healed only with the help of others.  

     Lyca, Jo & Andrea

Ultimately this help comes from the Dream 2B Green community project, which the friends join (and which really happened! – see Theatre in Education/Dream 2B Green).  Through this Lyca is able to help others she recognises as being fragile, just as she had been before her own loss of innocence.  She sees the signs in young Debs, and is able to help prevent the cycle repeating itself.

This is new writing enhanced by old, flavoured with Critical Stage Company’s innovative and penetrative style.

The shows in Merseyside will include a second half in which the Dream 2B Green play is performed in its entirety (10mins).  This is followed by poetry readings of work by homeless poets (particularly by clients of the Basement Night Drop-In Centre in Liverpool, some of whom will perform their own poems on stage) and by the Dream 2B Green members.  

The evening's proceedings will culminate in an open discussion about the issues dealt with in the plays, run by experienced facilitator and lecturer Dr.Caroline Baillie.  This is a chance for the audience to ask questions of the team and to share their own experiences.

        
      Debs, Jo & Andrea

     
    Andrea with Lyca

see our Citadel Website Entry

see the Dream 2B Green website

see Dream 2B Green's Recycling/Poetry day website

read our Merseyside Press Release                                                  read our London Press Release

Critical Stage Company has been working with the Dream 2B Green team in Liverpool to aid  homeless agencies as they deal with a serious social problem.  The Dream 2B Green 'Recycling for Life' day, held on Saturday October 6th at the UK Centre for Materials Education (Liverpool University) was an initiative which asked the public to donate clothes, books, cosmetics etc for The Basement night drop-in shelter in Liverpool (see Press Release)  A booklet of poems by homeless poets was given to those who donated and some of these poems appear in the programme for the show.

 

If you'd like to know more about William Blake and his work visit the Tate Gallery Website.  They have a superb section devoted to him which they've kept online despite the ending of the Blake exhibition at Tate Britain in February 2001.  Click here.