THE MOONLIGHTERS COLLECTIVE
Ophelia
In summer 2023, supported by the Arts Council, we worked on an R&D of Ophelia, culminating in a showing and exhibition at Theatre by the Lake, Keswick, and 53Two, Manchester. As part of the R&D we provided free workshops, exploring the themes of the play, to Cumbrian teenagers across the region.
Our R&D Team:
Writer & Performer - Hannah Roze-Lewis
Producer - Amy Allenby for The Moonlighters Collective
Director - Maya Shimmin
Designer - Louie Whitemore
Composer & Sound Designer - Patch Middleton
Lighting & Stage Manager - Ellen Butterworth-Evans
The journey so far:
Prior to our R&D we took work-in-progress versions of Ophelia to venues across the UK. Scroll down to read some of our audience reviews!
Next Steps:
We are currently preparing to tour Ophelia across northern venues in 2024.
Ophelia
Photo by Chris Lewis Photography
Synopsis:
“A woman is missing… I don’t know when we stopped noticing her, but she’s gone.”
Sixteen-year-old Ophelia is stuck. Stuck with the name of a dead girl from years ago. Stuck in a rural community where she doesn’t belong. Stuck in her own head, trying to figure out how to be the person she thinks she should be. The person everybody expects her to be.
And then there’s the lake, which calls to her. The lake where they used to drown the witches. Where she can finally think, finally feel.
With nods to Shakespeare and folklore, Ophelia is a modern take on growing up with mental health problems in the Lake District.
We'd like to thank the following for their support on our work-in-progress showings:
Jake Clements (Lights & Sound Operator), The Golden Goose, Wildcard Theatre Company, Fran Bushe, Lidia Crisafulli (photography), Threedumb Theatre, Stephen Smith, ENTER, The Space, Cat Humphries (photography), Competent Productions at The Liverpool Arts Bar.
"YOU PUT CUMBRIA ON STAGE... IT MADE ME EMOTIONAL"
-Audience Feedback
"A LOVELY PORTRAYAL OF WOMANHOOD AND MENTAL HEALTH... UPSETTING YET RELATABLE... THERE IS ALWAYS A LIGHT AT THE END OF THE TUNNEL, REASON TO STAY"
-Audience Feedback
"MOVING, HEALING, AND RESPECTFUL"
-Audience Feedback
Ophelia
Photo by Chris Lewis Photography
"Roze-Lewis has an incredible stage presence and delivery. The piece is well-written, compassionate, and disjointed to represent the fragility and destruction mental health creates. One actor to watch in the future."
- Theatre & Art Reviews (theatreandartreviews.com)
Below images by Chris Lewis Photography
"Told with delicacy and measured timing, this is a delightful piece of solo theatre that delves into the troubled mind of a girl who feels out of place."
- Broadway Baby
"Unique and Captivating"
- Lost in Theatreland
