Sweet Witchery
Scary Little Girls' Hallowe'en productions have proved hugely popular and innovative, with a new production and concept each year. Sweet Witchery was performed on a barge in London's Grand Canal and Manfield College Chapel in Oxford over Hallowe'en 2007.
Fundraising… and hair-raising
Haunting London and Oxford shows to exorcise a real-life evil.
This Hallowe’en, a uniquely Gothic theatrical experience will grip audiences in both London and Oxford… and raise funds to combat a far more disturbing and all-too real terror: violence against women in the UK. Sweet Witchery will be an intimate and slightly spooky occasion, delving into scenes, poems, stories and songs by female Gothic authors including Christina Rossetti and Hampstead’s Joanna Baillie… all in highly unusual, suitably creepy surroundings.The London shows will take place afloat, on the Grand Canal between Paddington and Camden Lock… drifting in the dark through the tunnels of Little Venice, the black expanse of Regent’s Park and past the eerie noises of London Zoo after hours.The production will then move to Oxford, appearing amid the authentically Gothic edifices of Mansfield College ’s 19th Century Chapel. The cast features multiple-award-winning actress and writer Kath Burlinson, herself a PhD in Christina Rossetti, and something of an expert on ghoulish historical figures, having recently starred in the UK tour of Thatcher: The Musical. Producer Rebecca Mordan, of the aptly named Scary Little Girls Productions, is also no stranger to the genre, having written the critically acclaimed hit play The Kisses; a groundbreaking and politically charged treatment of Bram Stoker’s Dracula story. She says: “We are delighted to have assembled such a diverse and talented cast for these five extremely special shows, under an immensely experienced and respected director in Abigail Anderson. The unique combination of the theme, the people involved and highly atmospheric surroundings will make this a hugely memorable event. “However, the truth is far more chilling and than our ghost stories. In our so-called ‘modern’ Britain, a rape is committed on average every 11 minutes… and women endure domestic violence every 27 seconds. That’s why the profits from this production will go to supporting the work of the London Feminist Network, and in particular the Reclaim the Night march at the end of November.”
