WHAT A NIGHT! I told Bluebeard in Barcelona the other week, in the legendary Harlem Jazz Cafe. What was extraordinary for me was the stage floor…. The audience couldn’t see it, but the red lights behind me made it appear it was stained crimson with blood! It looked like a slaughterhouse floor – perfect for Bluebeard’s bloody chamber 🙂
This is Astana in Kazakhstan – what an amazing looking city! I will be going here at the beginning of April to do some schools work for the British Council. After a few days here, I will fly to Almaty. It promises to be quite an adventure 🙂
It’s a winning combination of scary stories and whacky science experiments with a bit of steampunk thrown in too. And it’s very interactive… The youngsters help me do the experiments 🙂
After the sellout success of Season 1, my true life storytelling club Tell Me On A Sunday returns to the Ikon Gallery Birmingham this month.
Cat Weatherill’s Bluebeard is a journey into obsession. Inspired by Perrault’s classic gothic horror story, it’s magnificently dark, erotic and disturbing. But it’s also a celebration of the love of sisters and the resilience of women.
This is a defiantly female version of the tale, in which the sister and mother of the bride, Eva, are given far greater prominence. Eva also is awarded infinitely more emotional complexity than usual, as she explosively transforms from a victim into a survivor who will not ‘rake through the ashes for half burned hopes.’
‘Totally captivating… stunning. Cat leads audiences into those deep places where nothing is spared, and dark and light are laid bare. Inspirational.’ Dr Pauline Mottram. Manchester Metropolitan University.
Bluebeard was shortlisted for Storytelling Performance of the Year in the British Awards for Storytelling Excellence 2012
Bluebeard is part of Cat’s Red Energy strand. Red Energy Theatre explores emotion through story, to engage the heart and stir the soul.
‘In terms of composition and performance, the finest spectacle at Beyond the Border 2012’ – Tim Ralphs
‘Transformative. I’d expected shock horror, but not the journey into my own subconscious you so masterfully led.’
‘Dark, awesome, truthful and beautiful. I have seen and heard so many wonderful storytellers, but your story opened another, stranger, more terrifying window. Thank you so much.’
‘Very impressive, very courageous.’
‘Amazing performance. Very disturbing.’
‘If Carslberg did storytellers, you would be it. Wow.’
‘An incredibly haunting tale, told with such energy. I studied Bluebeard at university, and this has completely transformed my feelings and thoughts of the tale.’
‘Highly unusual, atmospheric and wonderfully spooky. Beautiful singing.’
‘Amazing. Gave me chills – in a good way.’
‘An extraordinary performance… The full horror of it. Time flew.’
I am working on a new website…
It’s aimed at children, and it’s all about my books. I’ve always felt uncomfortable about children coming here, to this site. Sometimes, when I visit a school, I slip past a classroom and see the teacher has it up on the big screen. Aargh! It’s not intended for kids. It’s a business site, not a fan site.
The new one WILL be a fan site!
I’ve had this problem for years. It’s because I do so many different things. Are there any other children’s authors who do bawdy stories for adults? Probably not! At least – not under the same name 😉 But I do, and I need to advertise them both.
So at last, I am separating things out. From now on, all my school sessions will point children clearly in the direction of www.catweatherillauthor.com And this is the address that will go on all my book marketing and family storytelling stuff.
SORTED!
I’ve just had a wonderful weekend at the spectacular Blenheim Palace, telling ghost stories to families. Now we’re talking of maybe doing something for adults… I’d love to do Bluebeard!
