Kat thought they were too young to worry about menopause, biology had other ideas…
‘Kat’s unapologetic words deliver eloquent punches, their poetry challenging audiences to look them straight in the eyes and meet them for who they are. Kat’s performance is compelling and magnetic.’
Anita Kelly, theatre reviewer, Weston-Super-Mum
Full review here
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Dry Season Creative Team
- Dramaturge/movement director: Laura Dannequin
- Producers: Helen Edwards (R&D) & Maeve O’Neill (Tour)
- Lighting design: Sarah Readman
- Animation: Edalia Day
- Film: Black Bark Films
- Photography: Suzi Corker
- Graphic design: Nick Thompson
Audience feedback from: Alma Theatre, Bristol 2019; Camden Peoples Theatre, London 2021; Spring tour dates (various) 2022.
Dry Season takes the audience on an autobiographical journey through a chaotic year of hormones, mental health issues and NHS visits. Intimate, honest and darkly humourous, Kat uses spoken word theatre to explore societal expectations of age and gender, our need for connection, and how we cope with change.
Dry Season toured throughout the UK from March 2022 – March 2023 and included 18 performances, 7 workshops and 3 spoken word events.
No further full-show performances are currently planned due to funding, but please do get in touch if:
- You wish to discuss bringing the full show/selected spoken word elements of the show to an event or venue.
- You’d like me to run spoken word/performance workshops around any of the themes Dry Season explores.
- You’re an artist in any discipline exploring related themes and are interested in collaborating.
- You’re running a talk or panel on issues around gender/menopause etc and would like me to contribute.
Project History
In May 2019 I was awarded funding from Arts Council England to research and develop my first spoken word solo show Dry Season. I spent the summer rehearsing with my dramaturge/ movement advisor Laura Dannequin up at Ashton Court arts mansion as part of my artist’s residency with Artspace Lifespace. The R&D process was documented by local filmmakers Black Bark Films, who also produced the promotional showreel.
Thanks to the support of Bristol Ferment, in late 2020 we undertook a further period of R&D at Bristol Old Vic. We also redeveloped and expanded the overarching project to take account of Covid restrictions and create additional digital offerings. These included an animated poetry film, participatory workshops, as well as the online spoken word event SpitFire, which was conceived to amplify the diverse voices and experiences of older women and nonbinary people.
In July 2021, after another Artspace Lifespace residency at The Island, the finished show premiered at Camden Peoples Theatre as part of their Calm Down, Dear festival of feminist theatre. The UK tour began in March 2022.
Acknowledgements:
HUGE thank yous to my funders Arts Council England, my creative team, and to all my bid partners and project supporters, without whom none of this would have been possible: Artspace Lifespace, Bristol Ferment, Mobius PR, Camden Peoples Theatre, Apples and Snakes, Shoebox Theatre, Bristol Women’s Voice, and Tobacco Factory Theatre.
Thank you also to everyone who supported me throughout my diagnosis, and to those who generously shared their menopause experiences with me to help inform this project. If you or anyone you know is looking for support or information on this subject, Bristol Women’s Voice have produced a free Menopause Info Pack which is clear, informative, and inclusive. Outside of Bristol, The Daisy Network is an invaluable resource, and is currently the only charity in the UK focusing on the issue of premature ovarian failure/insufficiency.