This week I will be performing my show Coffee with Vera Front of House at the Theatre Royal Plymouth. I never thought I would still be performing this show seven years after first making it but it’s certainly not going away. The Theatre Royal are co-producing Amsterdam with the Actors Touring Company and it’s currently in the Drum theatre. … Read More
Vera’s ‘popping up’ in the Plymouth Fringe
Coffee With Vera May 29 @ 6:30pm – 7:30pm & May 30th @ 2pm- 3pm Ruth Mitchell Venue: Plymouth Synagogue Running time: 45-60 minutes Recommended age: 12+ Coffee with Vera is a performance inspired by 1960s coffee mornings created by gathering stories from the oldest Ashkenazi Synagogue in continuous use in the English-speaking world; the Plymouth synagogue. The character … Read More
List of this weeks Hidden Stories:Hidden Places audio trails
I’ve been working with my ripple colleague Derek Frood to make audio trails for some Heritage open days, the national event is this coming weekend. It is also the first week of the Jewish Heritage Days 2017 and here are three events where our cemetery audio trails can be heard. Thursday 7 September Plymouth Cemetery Audio Trail. 2pm. Listen to … Read More
#ripple’s Hidden Stories: Hidden Places @PolyFalmouth
On Sunday September 10th I will be giving a presentation with my ripple colleague Derek Frood about our Hidden Stories: Hidden Places project. This grew out of our Plymouth Cemetery Audio trail, which took place in a hidden Jewish cemetery on Plymouth Hoe in 2016. After the unexpected success of the trail within the Plymouth Art Weekender we continued the … Read More
Starting to find our Hidden stories:Hidden places
Last year, with my colleague Derek Frood, we made an audio trail within a hidden Jewish cemetery in Plymouth but what we thought would be a quiet weekend, with a handful of curious people, turned into a kind of marathon. Around 120 people turned up each day and those who didn’t have smart phones or headphones waited patiently for one of … Read More
thoughts on making an audio performance for a hidden walled cemetery
In 2013 I made a performance for the Plymouth Synagogue, which is the oldest Ashkenazi synagogue in continuous use in the English speaking world. I spoke to the ladies of the very small, congregation and used those interviews, verbatim, to create my text. The performance has been performed inside the synagogue every year since and has helped to … Read More
Cemetery Audio Tour in the Plymouth Art Weekender
Over the last few weeks Derek Frood and myself aka ripple, have been busy researching archives, censuses, newspapers, genealogy sites and books, books, books about the old Jewish cemetery on Plymouth Hoe. In 1740 this plot was a family garden; today it is a calm oasis that hides a wealth of history and culture. We have created 15 short pieces; stories, … Read More
Coffee with Vera returns to the Plymouth Synagogue
When I first performed Coffee with Vera it was inside the vestry of the Plymouth Synagogue. My decision to use the vestry rather than the synagogue was twofold. The synagogue can be accessed through an appointment to view with a guided tour, conducted by the caretaker. It can be considered a performance in itself, which gives a particular reading of … Read More