Preview: A Twist of Lemon
by Sam Wonfor, The Journal
THE curtain will rise on Open Clasp’s latest production next week.
A Twist of Lemon is the upcoming offering from the region’s only all-female professional theatre company and kicks off its premiere tour with a free performance at Bangladeshi Community Centre in Hendon, Sunderland.
Written by Open Clasp founder Catrina McHugh and directed by Fiona McPherson, the play focuses on four North East women, whose characters were based on and informed by the real experiences shared by lesbians in drama workshops. Set on a holiday to the island of Lesvos, the play is a realistic depiction of what being a lesbian in the North East means today.
Open to women and girls over the age of 13, the performance has been funded by Sunderland’s New Deal for Communities regeneration programme, Back on the Map.
A drama workshop will follow the performance and is designed to explore subjects in the play by interacting with the characters and each other as the issues raised by the play are discussed and debated. Open Clasp company development manager Roma Yagnik said: “This play is a must-see, not only because it is a funny, touching and thoroughly entertaining show, but because it shows the real impact of homophobia, heterosexism, homophobic bullying and same sex domestic violence to audiences who may have no experience of the issues, as well as giving validation to those who have.
“In a society where there is little realistic representation of lesbians, lesbian groups in the North East have worked with us through drama workshops to provide an accessible and creative way of promoting the visibility, validation and celebration of the lived experiences of lesbians and young lesbians in the region – we are proud to bring their characters to the stage.“
To book a free ticket to the performance, contact Dan Smith at Back on the Map, on (0191) 566-6931 or email dsmith@backonthemap.org Priority will be given to women from the Hendon and East End area of Sunderland. Food will be served from 5pm and the performance will start at 6pm. The drama workshop is scheduled to finish at about 9pm.
