‘Bearded Ladies’ Charlotte Gregory and Melissa Hurlbutt with presenter Billy Wood (Image: I Am Birmingham)
Birmingham based theatre collective Needless Allies is inviting the public to experience the sad and sordid tales of The Bearded Ladies.
Theatrical trio Charlotte Gregory, Melissa Hurlbutt and Kerrie Reading are hosting their work-in-progress show By The Hair of Her Chin at the mac in Birmingham next month, ahead of a possible national tour of the performance in 2018.
As you might have guessed by the title of the piece, the project is all about women with facial hair, and quite a fair bit of it.
The work-in-progress theatre performance reflects on bearded ladies in the late 1800s.
Bearded Ladies?
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Yep, bearded ladies. Bearded ladies from history, bearded ladies from the world of arts and entertainment and bearded ladies today, all while exploring the meaning and significance of facial fuzz on the female form.
Utilising an Arts Council England investment and the support of the city’s Midland Arts Centre (mac), Needless Allies is currently undertaking a research and development phase for their new work; a theatre show which employs live music and song as it reflects on bearded ladies in the late 1800s.
Suitably hairy, the bewhiskered hostesses for the evening of the presently one-off performance are described as “stunning yet grotesque, intriguing yet frightful, and most certainly equipped to cause a furry frenzy.
“Through their uncouth nature, wicked charm and seductive methods of persuasion, they will rapture even the most reserved guest.
The Bearded Ladies performance piece is funded by Arts Council England and supported by the city’s Midland Arts Centre (mac)
‘By The Hair of Her Chin’ stars Birmingham-based actors Charlotte Gregory and Melissa Hurlbutt (Image: I Am Birmingham)
According to Needless Allies, the creators of the presentation:
“By the Hair of Her Chin explores femininity through the masculine veil of a beard, and asks the audience to question and quantify the notion of beauty, as well as the expectations placed on women both at the turn of the 20th century and in our own times. It’s also a lot of fun!
“We create works that journey in and around historical buildings, disused spaces and unconventional sites and often draw inspiration from the old industrial landscape of lovely Brum. As a counterpart we make work within rural settings, often taking inspiration from the landscape, traditional stories and nature.
“We delight in bringing theatre to non-theatrical spaces and aim to make both unconventional performance sites and theatre itself accessible to new audiences.”
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When is it on?
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By the Hair of Her Chin is on at the mac Birmingham, on Monday 6th February between 4pm-5pm. The event is free to attend.
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