The Last Woodwose
(11--22 September, suffolk Tour 2019)
A new play by Thea Smiley
'Brilliant! It had the true spirit of Wonderful Beast, great storytelling' -- AUDIENCE MEMBER
woodwose, n. A wild man of the woods; a satyr, faun; a person dressed to represent such a being in a pageant. (Oxford English Dictionary)
The Last Woodwose sprang from the success of Smiley’s previous sell-out play for Wonderful Beast, Return of the Wildman. Inspired by local legends and symbolism, Smiley spins a tale of a wild woman: the last woodwose herself. A shapeshifter, both wild and human-like, she is strong yet maternal, mature yet vibrant, powerful yet endangered. Facing extinction, she tells the extraordinary story of her life through shapeshifting, storytelling and magic, and reveals the origin of the legendary Suffolk Green Children for a poignant fairy tale experience: the trademark of Wonderful Beast.
The Last Woodwose sprang from the success of Smiley’s previous sell-out play for Wonderful Beast, Return of the Wildman. Inspired by local legends and symbolism, Smiley spins a tale of a wild woman: the last woodwose herself. A shapeshifter, both wild and human-like, she is strong yet maternal, mature yet vibrant, powerful yet endangered. Facing extinction, she tells the extraordinary story of her life through shapeshifting, storytelling and magic, and reveals the origin of the legendary Suffolk Green Children for a poignant fairy tale experience: the trademark of Wonderful Beast.
You can watch a video of the live production below on this page or on our YouTube channel here.
'As the Wildman was a man of the sea, I decided that my new play would be about a wild woman of the woods, or woodwose, a creature from British and European folklore. I’d been keen to write an empowering part for a mature actress for some time, so I wanted the Woodwose to be strong and dignified, and to challenge traditional views of femininity and beauty. I was also interested in inverting the fairy tale idea of the forest as a threatening place, and in highlighting the environmental and ecological issues of deforestation and extinction.
Like the Wildman, the Woodwose tells her story in language that has an essence of nature writing and poetry, and the piece merges drama, poetry, storytelling and music to create a cross-genre wildness…during my research I was fascinated to discover that I have been surrounded by woodwoses all my life, as they are carved on church fonts throughout Norfolk and Suffolk, and in Ludham church in Norfolk you can find a rare female woodwose.'
THEA SMILEY
Like the Wildman, the Woodwose tells her story in language that has an essence of nature writing and poetry, and the piece merges drama, poetry, storytelling and music to create a cross-genre wildness…during my research I was fascinated to discover that I have been surrounded by woodwoses all my life, as they are carved on church fonts throughout Norfolk and Suffolk, and in Ludham church in Norfolk you can find a rare female woodwose.'
THEA SMILEY
'Oh, that was just the most wonderful experience, it was like being in a spell…incredible, moving, absolutely carried me away.' -- AUDIENCE MEMBER
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The production premiered in the HighTide Aldeburgh Festival in the magical woodland at Blackheath House by kind permission of Michael and Patty Hopkins. The premiere was followed by performances in St John’s Church, Saxmundham and St Michael’s, Framlingham where ancient carvings of woodwoses abound on the fonts; Staverton Park with its magnificent ancient oak trees; Kaliwood, Holton, where we were welcomed by Rachel Kellett and children from the Forest School in another dream-like setting, finishing in a stunning medieval barn in Brandeston, by kind permission of Ffiona Lewis and Crispin Kelly.
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'The cast were a group of three talented actors. All of them were terrific at their roles and it was very clever how two of the cast switched between embodying many different characters during the play, without ever making the plot seem confusing.' — GEORGIA WATSON, seesuffolk.com
film of the last woodwose: kaliwood
castIllegal logger / Old Woodwose / Woodcutter / Dryad / Boy: Huw Brentnall
Illegal logger / Sprite / Girl: Rosalind Burt Woodwose: Hilary Greatorex Composer & Musician: Sylvia Hallett |
creativesWriter: Thea Smiley
Director: Alys Kihl Costume Designer: Jacky Linney Movement Director: Anusha Subramanyam Dramaturg: Martin Bonger Blackwing Lighting: Torben Merriott Lighting Technician: Lee Whittaker Stage Manager: Zoë Wells Assistant Stage Manager: Eleanor Beck Project Manager: Becky Marshall-Potter Tour Manager: Louisa Thorp Marketing: Caz Slota Programme Design: Silverlace Creatives Assistant to the Artistic Director: Emma Close-Brooks |
