Set in a mysterious library where poems and writers come to life, as a day librarian and night librarian reveal secrets to a girl about the hidden history of Sylvia Plath, Ted Hughes and Assia Wevill.
‘Birthday Book of Storms’ is an imagined retelling of events in the life of the iconic poets Plath and Hughes and artist Assia Wevill. Sent in a twilight magic realist world, the events of their fateful, tragic lives are investigated by a girl wanting to know who she is and her forgotten place in their story. The play highlights the choices these protagonists made, and the consequences of their choices on the girl
The play, a Griffin Award finalist, through fictional retelling is focused on the feminine in the Hughes saga.
‘The play is a combination of research and imaginative speculation. It is beautifully written‘- Michael Brindley, Stage Whispers (on Fire in the Head, 2022)
Content warning: suicide referred to
Co-Directed by Jaime Dörner & R.Johns
Written by R.Johns
Dramaturge: Sue Ingleton
Graphics & Design by Peter Mumford
Performed by Anita Torrance, Amanda Anastasi, Phil Roberts, Jim Daly, Ursula Searle and Robin Kakolyris
Lighting Design by Kris Chainey
Sound Design by Aaron Torrance
Stage Manager & Operator Cole McKenna
Image by Peter Mumford
Access Information:
Visual rating 50%: Events are partly subtitled or include dialogue, background music and/or sounds, so d/Deaf and hard of hearing audiences can have some engagement with the event.
Aural Rating 50%: Has both sound and visual components, but sight isn’t essential to be able to engage with the event.
