Celebrated for pioneering the fragmented, intense spotlit moments that characterized the Modernist movement, writer Katherine Mansfield marked a centenary this year. In that spirit, we have picked out our own Moments from a busy year for this end of year overview.
11.00 Dornoch Town Square - January
On a cold sunlit morning in the north of Scotland, we began our Beautiful Protest singing in the square opposite the house where Maxwell Fyfe stayed with his grandparents and heard family stories of the late Highland Clearances. The source of our mythical stream of natural law, our tour took us down the country via Edinburgh, Liverpool, Oxford and London as the government prepared to introduce the Illegal Migration Bill, which undermines ECHR.
News coverage and social media collected at https://www.englishcabaret.co.uk/our-beautiful-protest
Read through of Two Tigers - July, C Aquila
This is the moment when all the writing, the arranging, and the casting came together. After a weekend learning the songs, at this read-through, we glimpsed the magic of the re-imagined show for the first time. Just 10 days later it was on stage in front of an audience.
Find out about Two Tigers - https://www.englishcabaret.co.uk/two-tigers
I Heart Musicals tech - August C Aquila
With Two Tigers up and running its leading lady Lily Casson took a morning to stage her solo show for the first time. Creating different spaces for singing and storytelling using atmospheric lighting with her director Tom Blackmore, the show came together in anticipation of a live audience - the very next evening!
See photos and read reviews at https://www.englishcabaret.co.uk/i-heart-musicals
Jacqueline Middleton Murry visits Two Tigers - August C aquila
Quite unexpectedly, having seen her grandad's photo on one of our posters, Tiger 2's grand-daughter by his son Col introduced herself after the show. She was charmed by Lucas McQueen's portrayal of JMM, and stayed on to meet the cast and talk about her memories of Jack and family history after Katherine's death.
Explore our Edinburgh archive of things we got up to in the Fringe including singing at Waverley station and Festival Music Night at https://www.instagram.com/englishcabaret/
Merchant's Hall Edinburgh - September
The response to Dreams of Peace & Freedom, performed with members of the Chamber Choir of George Watson's College blew us away. An invited audience including the Lord Provost of Edinburgh and Lord Steele described the song cycle as 'hauntingly memorable' 'poignant, pertinent and perfect.'
Read the report in Scottish Legal News at https://www.scottishlegal.com/articles/david-maxwell-fyfes-life-and-legacy-remembered-in-song-cycle
Two Tigers in New Zealand
A string of spotlit moments before, during, and after the Fringe run took the show to Katherine's homeland. The house where she was born, now a museum, shared the show in their newsletter, it was the only British theatre show to feature on the KM100 website, and in the Autumn filmed excerpts and a live Q & A featured in an online international festival.
On the Steps of the Friends Meeting House Manchester - October
As party members came and went, or passed by on the way to the hall, moments before then Home Secretary Suella Braverman took to the stage at this year's Conservative Party Conference, we were singing for peace and freedom inside the railings of the Quaker Meeting House. There at the invitation of the Executive Officer, what she called a 'Quakerly protest' our stand was widely shared on social media.
Watch our video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bQGE6Ng7qyk
And finally...
Heartfelt thanks to all of you who have supported us this year - coming along to shows, following and sharing our social media, and contributing to making our work possible. Your interest is our lifeblood, so we hope you'll join us for more memorable moments in 2024!