'Mesmerising' show about pioneering medieval Abbess tours to Glasgow with BAFTA-nominated director, and acclaimed actor and musicians
BAFTA-nominated director Nicholas Renton (Mrs Gaskells’ Wives & Daughters, Lewis, Musketeers) is set to join the critically acclaimed music and theatre company The Telling to tour the “mesmerising” (The Guardian) show Vision by acclaimed playwright/singer Clare Norburn to St Andrew’s West Parish Church, Glasgow on Saturday, September 20.
Amid the darkness of the Middle Ages, Abbess Hildegard of Bingen saw the universe in a dazzling light and spoke with an insight and a genius that makes her music and poetry resound down the centuries. Vision explores Hildegard’s extraordinary life as she relives her painful and visceral visionary experiences alongside her stunning music - haunting and distinctive chant - performed and acted live.
The ‘concertplay’ (where music and theatre collide) covers some of the core emotional moments as Hildegard (played by TBA renowned actress) re-experiences meaningful episodes. Her music is performed by singers Gwendolen Martin and Clemmie Franks, and harpist Jean Kelly.
The award-winning playwright Clare Norburn explains: “While the script is grounded in research into Hildegard’s life, I was actually more interested in exploring how she experienced those moments than in giving a detailed historical account. So, Vision is 'an imagined testimony' as Hildegard revisits and re-experiences meaningful episodes from her past.
"It explores questions such as: what did it feel like to be taken away from her family at the age of 8? How did she experience the visions which she referred to as 'the Living Light'? What was the physical experience of her visions? How did it feel to have so much responsibility in an age when women were generally powerless and silent?”
“an exploration of the boundaries between art and life...intelligent… finds new terrain” Arifa Akbar, The Guardian on Clare Norburn’s writing
An Arthouse Film adaption of Vision was released in 2020 in response to lockdown restrictions and tour cancellations. The film received critical acclaim and was selected by The Guardian as one of their online watching highlights alongside Edinburgh and Salzburg Festivals:
“mesmerising... An austerely beautiful piece about a woman whose faith gave her extraordinary strength and courage." Tim Ashley, The Guardian on the Vision film
The performances are directed by BAFTA-nominated director Nicholas Renton (Mrs Gaskells’ Wives & Daughters, Lewis, Musketeers) and will take place at magnificent venues across the UK: St Martin-in-the-Fields in Trafalgar Square, Malling Abbey in Kent, Lancaster Priory, Hallé St Peter’s in Manchester,St Andrew’s West Parish Church (The Sanctuary) in Glasgow, St John’s Chapel in Chichester and St Mary’s Church in Dorchester (Dorset).
"It was the overlap of, interaction between, and communication of the music of Hildegard — two voices and medieval harp — and her spoken word, delivered by Teresa Banham, which made the show such a unified, deep telling... It may not have been billed as a Lenten devotion, but if a moment for reflection is needed, or the desire to understand more of Hildegard is to be fulfilled, it is well worth making the time for this." Bridget West, Church Times on Vision (2019 review)
Tickets are available to book online at https://www.thetelling.co.uk/vision