- Venue
- The Guildhall
- Location
- East England
Artemisia Gentileschi. not a name i was familiar with until a friend announced she had been selected to show work in an exhibition attached to a new theatre piece based on Artemisia Gentileschi’s life.
so when I was asked if I would like to see the play at the guildhall in Leicester i was intrigued enough to attend. i’d heard that this could well have been the first time a play had been put on there since the time of Shakespeare. i do of course usually resist believing the marketing constructs around events staged in my time.
seeing the exhibition of work inspired by Artemisia Gentileschi gave me access to the woman before going into the guildhall.
walking into a non formal theatrical space was very exciting, especially in the afternoon as the room was lit with natural light augmented by a minimal lighting rig. the soundscape completed the setting.
knowing only a little about Artemisia Gentileschi and a lot about the time i live in, as act one progressed i became increasingly uncomfortable with the use of language. the time setting of the writing was early 17th century, however the spoken word of the male protagonists sounded particularly of now. it started an uncomfortable dialogue within myself to do with the writing and ultimately the staging being unsure of how to handle the disparate times of players and audience. i wanted to be transported to her time, to become a bit more intimately involved with her to get to know her thoughts and feelings a little more.
my uncomfortableness as an audience member continued after the interval. by now the natural light was succumbing to the theatrical replacement placed in the guildhall. the company of actors supplying the text well however i was wanting to be there with them in the 17th century. my thoughts of a theatrical opportunity missed becoming larger than staying with Gentileschi’s progress through her life.
the piece did seem to be about her life. i spoke with my friend after the show, there were some really big events in her life that shaped her thoughts and how she painted. did that come through in the writing? well yes i saw the death of her father, the rape, the bit with the sword. did i need something more than just a historical timeline played out in 3d? maybe if the 3d quality of what i saw echoed the 2d work by Gentileschi i would have felt happier when leaving the guildhall.
however for all my uncomfortablenss, i now am aware of Artemisia Gentileschi, i know a bit about her and what she went through. well done Raison D’etre Theatre Company, you’ve done good work and i look forward to seeing subsequent work.
