A Celebration of the Plum. A Preparation for Death. Cheers!

Our third project was In My Father’s House, which we made in four Church of England churches in the West Midlands before touring to Edinburgh (August 2007), Warwick Arts Centre (May 2008) and Battersea Arts Centre (July 2008). We very much saw the rituals of the church and the habits of its inhabitants as a form of theatre, and so we took our theatre and merged it with theirs. We were fascinated by churches, as buildings with a very specific function that were more accessible to us than official rehearsal spaces.

Exploring “four women’s relationship to the spiritual Father, biological father, lover and son”, In My Father’s House was our take on the Eucharistic service, in which the women worshipped the plum, a metaphor for the body, with its skin (skin), flesh (body) and pit (soul), and also symbolised faithfulness and independence. The audience were welcomed into the ladies daily service: celebrating life and preparing for death.

“Like a dream state…the magic of absolute ritual” Audience member, BAC

“There is a totality to Kindle Theatre’s performance. They have created a piece of theatre in which they immerse their audience” Stage MUST SEE

“David Lynch meets the Wickerman meets the Women’s Institute” The Birmingham Post