OBRA Theatre Company Presents GAUDETE

Ted Hughes' original 1977 poetic novel is reimagined in a highly physical take on this rarely performed text, brought to the stage for only the second time since it was written. The life of a Yorkshire village is shattered when elemental spirits replace the parish priest with his double. Alternative realities collide as this changeling interprets the gospel of love in his own alarming fashion. What goes on at the Women's Institute?

International theatre ensemble OBRA interweave a precise physicality, dynamic choric dance and evocative images accompanied by a soundscape that includes live junkyard percussion to bring Hughes' visceral language to life. Originally written as a film in 1964 before the poet re-wrote it as a novel in verse, OBRA's initial version of the first part of the triptych, Act I: Prologue, appeared at the BE Festival in 2012, where it won a jury prize for Best Dramaturgy. This tour marks the first time that audiences can see both Act I and Act II and will include performances as part of 2017 World Poetry Day celebrations on 21st March. The final act of Gaudete will be completed over the summer and all three acts of the triptych will tour during Autumn 2017.

Director Kate Hannah Papi said "The process to make this stage adaptation began in 2009 with Oliviero Papi and a small group of artists, all of whom had a desire to explore it physically, to taste the words and share this largely ignored work of Ted Hughes with a larger public. Quite simply, no other text has touched me like Gaudete; it is complex and beautiful and, although it shows us the terrifying cruelty that man is capable of, it offers us a form of redemption through a recognition of nature's place in our world, and an acceptance of life in all its complexity ".

The work of OBRA Theatre Company brings to life, for a modern audience, extraordinary texts not originally destined for the stage. Pluridisciplinary in approach, rigorous, dynamic and rooted in ensemble practice, they are a bold voice in Contemporary Theatre performance.

www.obratheatre.co

14 - 15 March Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield

Queen St, Huddersfield, HD1 2SP

7:30pm | Ticket Prices: £16 / £14 / £10 / Kirklees Passport £3 off / under 26 £8

01484 430528 | www.thelbt.org

17 - 18 March Make Liverpool

(Part of Unity Theatre season)

The LEAP POP UP VENUE, Make Liverpool, 37 Regent St, Liverpool L3 7BN

8pm | Ticket Prices: £12 and (£10 concession)

0151 7094988 | www.unitytheatreliverpool.co.uk

20 - 21 March The Lowry, Salford

Pier 8, Salford Quays, M5O 3AZ

8pm | Ticket Price: £18.50 (Includes £2.50 booking fee) Concessions: £2 off

0843 208 6000 | www.thelowry.com

Performed as part of World Poetry Day 2017

24 March The Civic, Barnsley

Hanson Street, Barnsley, S70 2HZ

7:30pm |Tickets: £12 | £10 concessions | £8 Student

01226 327000 | www.barnsleycivic.co.uk

Supported by Arts Council ENGLAND, DRAC Occitanie, Region Occitanie, Gers department, Denbigh Philanthropic Society.