WHAT IS VIOLET?

We're raising money for Violet, a new writing theatre project that aims to support queer creatives and create space for queer representations on stage. Violet will be a part of Bath Spa's SparkFest in May 2022 with the hopes of taking this project even further afterwards. 

Violet is set in Paris through the 1920s - 1940s. The play follows Irene, a young woman in a secret relationship with Francoise. Not wanting her family and friends to discover her love for another woman, Irene battles with the heteronormative and oppressive norms of 20th century France. Eventually forced into a marriage with childhood sweetheart, Jacques, Irene’s secrets are carried for decades until the bitter end.

This new writing looks at queer relationships, identity and seeks to explore erased history.

MEET THE TEAM

Beth Adams

Hi, I'm the Producer of Violet and I'm so excited to be working on a project that focuses on queer representations and identities. As the Producer, I've been spending my time overseeing the entire project and making sure we're creating something truly special! My role has allowed me to see the development of Violet from the very beginning, and it's been amazing so far! We've held so many workshops and online meetings and now have an incredible team of creatives working on Violet. We hope the project can reach as many of you as possible!

Jess Purton

As the Director of Violet I have been conducting online auditions, casting workshops and being in contact to cast the production. My current duties are to host rehearsals and help the script come to life with the actors we have cast by creating a rehearsal schedule and being in constant contact with the actors and crew. I chose to work on this project due to the relevant themes and content in the piece which I believe talks to a younger target audience that is essential for the future of theatre. Having this production go ahead will not only be an amazing experience for myself, cast and crew but will be an exciting experience and opportunity for the future voices of theatre to be shown.

Amy Johnson

I am a student at Bath Spa University studying Film and Screen Studies and Creative Writing. I wrote this adaptation of The Captive, which I renamed Violet: a nod to what I felt was the symbol of forbidden love in the original play by Édouard Bourdet. I wanted to take on this project as I felt that not only was it a fantastic opportunity, but it was an interesting story with a lot of potential and a really important historical background that deserved to be retold. 

We also have a team of amazing actors and crew on board who we can't wait for you to meet!

our story

This project was born from the lack of queer women being represented on stage and behind the scenes. Violet has been adapted from Edouard Bourdet’s original play, The Captive (1926), but we’ve come a long way from that original text. The Captive was banned in the US after just a few shows on Broadway in the 1920s due to its queer themes, and ultimately the story had been almost completely forgotten about. Bourdet’s original play told Irene’s story with a male point of view, so we worked hard to ensure that the new telling is accurate, sensitive, and creates opportunity for queer women’s voices to be heard.

Where will the money go?

With your support, we'll be able to use this money to support our actors and production team whilst they're working hard on creating Violet! This includes:

• Travel expenses for our actors & crew
• Set design, props and costume
• Marketing materials

If we exceed our target, any extra contributions will go towards a second run of Violet so that we can reach an even bigger audience. This will allow for our team to continue working on this project and get it the attention it deserves!

Rewards

We would love to thank you for helping us reach our goal! 

• Contributors can be thanked in our program.
• We'll be giving away complimentary tickets to see Violet at SparkFest to some lucky contributors!

Find us here

Check out our Instagram - @violet.play

You can see updates from our whole team and keep up to date with the development of our project!

Help us succeed!

We're so excited to continue the development of this project, and we appreciate all of your help along the way!

If you aren't able to contribute financially, we'd love it if you helped spread the word! Make sure to share our mission to those you know who would be interested in our journey and production!