Name: Heart of Glass
Price range: $

And if we could talk to each other face to face and tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth, where would we even begin...?

In November 2018 ANU, the multi-award winning multi-disciplinary company heralded by The Irish Times as making the “most searing works of the past decade”, brought an explosive new site-responsive performance to the town of St Helens.

Simultaneously uplifting and unsettling, TORCH blurred the edges between the real and imagined, tearing through private and public spaces and taking audiences on a high octane, unrelenting journey.

The outcome of a two year research phase between ANU and women from St Helens, this brand new all female production delved into historical and contemporary events, bringing the voices of communities and untold stories to the fore.

Image Credit: Radka Dolinska

“The truth is, there are things that go beyond us. There are feelings that rise and rush over us that we can’t begin to explain, and the truth is we want something more or at least something new and there is a relief in not telling the truth, because the truth is, if we did, the whole town could implode.”

TORCH is part of Helen, a series of art projects and programmes of work created by partners Heart of Glass, idle women, and ANU and the women of St Helens and made possible by Arts Council England’s Ambition for Excellence programme.

Helen proposes a deep and radical need to dismantle in order to reveal, expose and rebuild. In a town with a higher than national average of domestic abuse, Helen responds to an urgent need to address violence against women in all its forms; the systematic, the structural, the domestic and the social.

A woman leans on a glass counter in a red room. Inside the counter is a collection of teacups. Out of focus, in the foreground, a person with short hair sips from a teacup.

In a green and white room a woman dances on a dark wooden table. The woman is dressed in snake print trousers and a white fluffy vest and kneels on top of the table with her hand in the air.

A woman sits on an unmade bed, in a nightgown and her hair tied up in a scarf. We see her from the side. She sits in a dark room and is lit from the front by a bright lamp. She is looking at the light.

A woman sits at the wheel of a car looking out of the windscreen. The car dash lights are on and it's dark outside, a streetlight lights the woman's face.

Production information

Running time is 75 minutes (no interval) 
Recommended age 16 years+ 
This show is an immersive promenade production in non-traditional performance spaces, so there will be standing and walking throughout. Audiences will view the work in small groups. Please wear appropriate and comfortable clothes and footwear.  
There won’t be a cloak room. Any coats/bags will remain with you throughout the performance.  We recommend you avoid bringing any heavy bulky items.
Audience members will be asked to meet at a town centre location with printed/digital tickets. This location will be emailed to ticket holders.
Please arrive 15 minutes before the performance start time. Latecomers will not be admitted due to the nature of the show. Unfortunately, we are not able to offer refunds to latecomers.

Access

BSL interpreted performances available.
As described in the Production Information, the performances will be taking place in non traditional performance locations (these are not modern purpose built accessible buildings) and with walking / standing throughout.
All efforts are being made to create an accessible environment. For all questions concerning accessibility please contact: torch@heartofglass.org.uk