Mirror Mirror
Run Date: October 2022 to January 2023.
Venue: Online.
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Description: Mirror Mirror was 2022's free and online project. Through the use of extended monologues Mirror Mirror explored the change in relations we have with fairy tales and fables now that we are older, wiser and understand their true meaning. Some of the work flipped the tale completely on its head whilst others will be explored the aftermath of certain events or re-imaging the whole thing altogether.
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We commissioned 12 newly written monologues from freelance writers and connected with a range of actors to bring them to life.
Below you can find a description of each monologue and who was involved with them. All monologues can be found on each of our social media accounts or over on our YouTube Account, which is linked below.
The Story of Tam Lin
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Description: Tell us the story of your fairy prince in the forest. What did you do when he stood in your way on Halloween? No fairy prince will stand in the way of Janet’s choices. What will you do when a fairy prince stands in your way?
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Release Date: 31/10/22.
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Written by: Sharon Sibyl Gatt.
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Performed by: Beth Wilcox.
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Directed by: Jessica Rose Renshall.
Wood, Strings, and a Little Bit of Brass: Pinocchio Revisited
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Description: “I wondered if I’d ever be attached to anyone anyhow, or will the links always be as fragile and replaceable as a marionette’s threads. …And I swore I would find a solution for my damnation... some kind of magic that could make me flesh and blood. A real boy.”
Turns out, Pinocchio never got the happily-ever-after as the children’s tale suggests. He led a hard, dodgy life, until he met a young saxophonist who would challenge his quest of becoming human.
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Release Date: 07/11/22.
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Written by: Hector T.J. Huang.
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Performed by: Owen Clayton.
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Directed by: Adam Cachia.
Alice’s Evidence
Description: Alice's life will change as soon as she takes her first step through the door to Wonderland. The Queen of Hearts has offered her the job of a lifetime- but are the consequences worth the risk?
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Release Date: 14/11/22.
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Written by: Joe Henry.
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Performed by: Stephanie Duffy.
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Directed by: Jessica Rose Renshall.
Animal
Description: Red Riding Hood's story is not only a cautionary tale for 17th century women but can be applied to the lives of all women today. Has your mother or grandmother ever warned you about walking home alone? About being wary of strangers, approaching you from the dark? Have you ever been warned of the wolf who means to cause you harm? In 'Animal' we see a tale sadly like any other today, of a family stripped of their young red riding hood by a greedy, inhuman wolf.
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Release Date: 21/11/22.
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Written by: Daisy Roe.
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Performed by: Angela Heenan.
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Directed by: Adam Cachia.
Let Down Your Hair
Description: 'Let Down Your Hair' is a modern rethinking of the Rapunzel girl-in-the-tower trope which also explores photosensitivity and the effects of lupus. In this unique monologue exploring the perception of happiness, we meet a young woman, Rap, who is bombarded by beauty standards and expectations in the wider world that she doesn't want to be a part of. As the story unfolds, we discover the unique perspective that her condition has given her on the world, and how that helps her to redefine happiness within her own little kingdom.
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Release Date: 28/11/22.
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Written by: K.C. Finn.
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Performed by: Ella Boyd.
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Directed by: Jessica Rose Renshall.
Cursed as Long as She Lived
Description: The next instalment in our free online Mirror Mirror series. This week’s monologue is inspired by the First Princess in the story of Hans-My-Hedgehog by the Brothers Grimm. Through the use of extended monologues, Mirror Mirror aims to explore the change in relations we have with fairy tales and fables now that we are older, wiser and understand their true meaning.
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Release Date: 12/12/22.
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Written by: Emily Ingram.
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Performed by: Suzanne Fulton.
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Directed by: Adam Cachia.
The Snow Queen
Description: And now we present a very important message. From the Queen. The Snow Queen.
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Release Date: 02/01/23.
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Written by: Abbie McLaren.
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Performed by: Bridie Higson.
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Directed by: Adam Cachia.
Wrong Person, Right Time
Description: ‘Wrong Person, Right Time’ is inspired by the Scottish lore of the Kelpies. A dangerous shape-shifting water creature who tricks their victims into a false sense of security before drowning them. The monologue compares the parallels between the myth and the painful experience of being led on, loving someone who doesn’t love you back, and breaking free from a toxic situation.
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Release Date: 05/12/22.
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Written by: Scott Thomson.
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Performed by: Eleanor Hawthorne.
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Directed by: Adam Cachia.
Gretel and Lily
Description: Gretel has left Hansel and the Witch in her past. Her new house is far from the forest, but not far enough. If she stands on her bed, Gretel can see the tips of the trees from the forest on the edge of town. Every day, it looks like it has crept closer overnight.
The arrival of Lily brings her face to face with her past, as she stares her crime in the eye.
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Release Date: 19/12/22.
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Written by: Seb Gardiner.
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Performed by: Jess Gough.
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Directed by: Adam Cachia.
Faith
Description: Warning: this episode of Mirror Mirror occasionally contains strong language (which may be unsuitable for children).
Shaun Langford has a problem. His mum has always told him that God can be found all everywhere, but all he can see is cracked pavements and litter. As his hatred towards those around him grows and grows, he is forced to accept that life isn't what he thought it would be, and confront the hole inside himself.
Faith is a short one-person piece that explores grief, religion and class.
Release Date: 09/01/23.
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Written by: Tom Ryder.
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Performed by: Joseph Harding.
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Directed by: Jessica Rose Renshall.
Tarantasio
Description: In 17th century Northern Italy, Tarantasio the human, the witch and the dragon adventures through life as an outsider. Struggling to be welcomed by the rest of the world due to the mysterious ambiguity of their identity, Tarantasio suffers, learns and eventually frees their wings and lets their nature lead them somewhere else, high above the skies.
Release Date: 17/01/23.
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Written by: Chiara Scoglio.
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Performed by: Noor Hadid.
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Directed by: Adam Cachia.
Happy Ever After
Description: For too long the LGBTQ+ community have been the villains of the ‘happy every after’... Well, no more. Now it’s time the queer community took back their fairy stories.
Release Date: 23/01/23.
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Written by: Nick Maynard.
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Performed by: John O'Neill.
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Directed by: Adam Cachia.