Playwriting – produced plays to 2015
THEATRE- see also HOME PAGE for current and most recent work
Previous work includes:
MAKING MONSTERS – available for touring
Inspired by the 200th Anniversary of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and the rapid advances in Artificial Intelligence, Making Monsters looks at the fundamental need for us to create in our own image.
NIGHTHAWKS
Taking place in the new Arts Centre at La Charite sur Loire, France, Sara was one of four commissioned writers. Performed by Hillary Keegin, Natalie Rafal, Fred Fortas and Denis Baronnet
Directed by Alain Foix
THE TRIBUNAL
Photo of Lennard Sillevis by Ray Gibson
1916: At a time of war and political uncertainty, Conscientious Objectors were alternately praised and vilified. When Catherine Marshall goes to visit her fellow activist – and lover – Clifford Allen at Newhaven Fort, he is insisting on refusing to fight, which could send him back to gaol and to an early grave.Can she save him while still holding on to their ideals? In a play full of modern resonances, the story asks what is worth fighting to the death?
Performed by Anna Darvas and Leonard Sillevis, directed by Nicola Blackwell
Produced by Veronica Stephens and Sara Clifford for InSite
Performed at Sussex venues including Charleston Farmhouse, the Marlborough Theatre and Newhaven Fort.
Fringe Review by Strat Mastoris
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Hugely impressed, and very moved, by ‘The Tribunal’.
An intensely human perspective on political and social issues….‘The Tribunal’ skilfully combines the domestic political situation of the First World War with the (timeless) moral dilemmas of following one’s pacifist conscience… the intensity of Sara Clifford’s writing, and the talents of her actors, mean that my memory, as I write this, is of actually being in that cell in Newhaven Fort.
Audience members:
- Harrowing, inspiring, fascinating – fantastic to have such a brilliant portrayal of conscientious protestors in Newhaven. More theatre please!
- Powerful, complex, moving – an extraordinary piece of work
SPRING 2016 and 2017
TWELVE ANGRY WOMEN
From an original idea by Sara Clifford
On her recent trip to New Zealand, Sara developed Twelve Angry Women with local writers in Wellington, resulting in a rehearsed reading at Circa Theatre, directed by Kathy McRae.
Wellington writers
Writers’ feedback:
This has been an amazing experience which is like ‘just a beginning’ though we are of course weaving the threads of our mothers and grandmothers into richer and more resilient tapestries ( Althea)
I read some graffiti once that said “art is not only a product of experience but a source of new experience” and that has certainly been true of 12 Angry Women. Thank you so much for the opportunity to take part in this project. I am sure it will be the impetus for a lot more good work. (Bianca)
Brighton writers
With Research and Development funding from ACE England, plus partnership support from New Writing South and Brighton Dome and Festival, 12 women, including Sara, were commissioned by Inroads to write short pieces about what makes them angry.
A sold out script in hand showcase performance was presented at the Brighton Dome Studio on March 4th 2016
Fringe Review by Tanushka Gill
HIGHLY RECOMMENDED
Despite the short length of these excerpts it was the details which made some of these pieces memorable. Sara Clifford’s Cream Cakes monologue of an elderly woman performed with touching authenticity by Jean Trend…The beautiful poetic details touch us in a place of recognition and draw us into the heart of the writer’s world…
..It was great to see a full house at Brighton’s Dome Studio for a rehearsed reading. On each chair was paper asking each audience member what makes us angry. I’m angry there isn’t more new work and theatre in Brighton when clearly there is such a hunger for it!
SUMMER 2015
VACANT POSSESSION
JULY 24TH AND 25TH, BROOKSIDE HOUSE, LEWES
A site specific performance for Inroads
By Sara Clifford and Clare Best
Directed by Nicola Blackwell
REVIEWS:
OUTSTANDING SHOW
Breathtaking.. The writing, both Clifford’s and Best’s, the acting and the staging all worked together to make this a truly outstanding production.
See more at: http://fringereview.co.uk/…/fringer…/2015/vacant-possession
FRINGE REVIEW
A beautiful and inspiring perfornance… mysterious and magical… so much love, beauty and resilience
Almost unbearably moving at times..I can’t remember when I’ve felt either so moved, or so stimulated by a piece of drama.
AUDIENCE MEMBERS
SPRING 2015
HOME FIRES
MARCH 18TH – 21ST 2015 AT NEWHAVEN FORT
Photo by Ray Gibson
Inspired by local people’s family stories of the Great War, this new site-responsive promenade play drew on text, sound and visual projections to create a haunting story of love and loss.
Directed by Terry O’Donovan, designed by Gem Greaves and produced by Veronica Stephens for Zap Art and Sara for Inroads Productions. Video installations by Shared Space and Light, sound installations by Thor McBurnie, music by Pat Power. Choreography by Margret Banks (Studio Tempo) and Matthew Blacklock ( Ragroof Players)
REVIEWS:
Memorable, sad and impressive.
ROBIN MORLEY, CHAIR OF INTERNATIONAL STREET ARTS NETWORK
A big, rich evening
TOTAL THEATRE
I thought this was an excellent production, extremely well judged in its use of a variety of media and locations. It presented an emotional and focussed central narrative around clearly identified characters whilst also exploiting the scale of the location, through a highly disciplined chorus and simple but effective design. It also included some wonderfully evocative installations and projections which all added hugely to the narrative core and the wider picture of the War and its impact. Every scene or image was well placed, the promenade audience was moved firmly but sympathetically around the site and our focus was guided often quite subtly towards images or locations. Many congratulations to the whole creative team, actors and chorus.
JON LINSTRUM, ARTS COUNCIL ENGLAND
Sara Clifford’s script delicately explores the mixed emotions on the home front through a local family, soldiers stationed in Seaford, and Newhaven’s telegram girl, Grace Crismas.
THE ARGUS
What a fantastic performance. A wonderful site-specific play about the 1st World War at Newhaven Fort. I loved the variety, great acting, dancing, choir, war heroes, loss, sound effects, installations, lighting, intimate conversations – thought provoking. To walk round the different spaces at night, added to the mystery and loss The first time I’ve been to Newhaven Fort and a play like this. The best I’ve seen!
AUDIENCE MEMBER
WRITER IN RESIDENCE, UNIVERSITY OF BRIGHTON, 2014-15
Sara was one of the two Writers in Residence 2014/15 at Brighton University, with poet Clare Best.
Over the course of the year, they hosted salons and events, exploring key issues in creative writing, including collaboration, community and site responsive work.
SPRING 2014 AND AUTUMN 2013, OUR DANCING FEET
BRIGHTON OCEANA NIGHTCLUB, AND EASTBOURNE WINTER GARDEN
Photo by Ray Gibson
In 2013/14, Sara wrote and conceived Our Dancing Feet, a large scale site specific theatre/dance piece about the Regent Dancehell in Brighton and the Winter Garden in Eastbourne, co-produced with Zap Art, directed by Terry O’Donovan, designed by Lucy Bradridge.
Great art, and I think that this production is great art, is often able to tell a big story by closely examining something small. Sara Clifford has produced a poignant evocation of a dance hall of sixty years ago, but she’s also given us a sense of the enormous social changes that have taken place in Britain since that time.
It had the quality of a vision, shimmering just out of reach.
Strat Matoris, Fringe Review ( 5 stars)
The mystery, the magic, the expectation, the surprises, the costumes, the ‘period’ feel, the characterization, the pathos, the memories ( mine!) and the wonderful, wonderful dancing! I feel totally invigorated!
Wonderful combination of real experience, entertainment, beautiful dancing, all ages and exuberance!
Audience members
TALKING POSTS, SHARED SPACE AND LIGHT, September 2015, The Old Market, Hove
Two bespoke storytelling lampposts installed outside The Old Market theatre in Hove, Brighton for 6 nights as part of the 2015 Brighton Digital Festival.
14 documented paranormal tales of Brighton, gathered from over 400 years of history were adapted by screenwriter Sara Clifford to bring the eerie stories to life. Each story was performed by a different person from The Old Market’s network of performers and actors
Commissioned by The Old Market, Hove and supported by Arts Council England
Watch here:
http://www.sharedspaceandlight.com/projects/talking-posts
REVIEW by Total Theatre:
These classic tales have been reworked into first-person narratives by playwright Sara Clifford, who has done an excellent job, giving enough shared style to offer cohesion to the whole piece, whilst yet allowing for individual narrative voices to shine through.
Talking Posts is a success – a very lovely concept, well realised. A shivery, shadowy experience perfect for melancholic autumn evenings.
SPRING 2013
NON!
TEATRO OROLOGIO, ROME, MARCH 2013
Sara, together with French writer/musician, Denis Baronnet, wrote this bib-lingual play with live music, which premiered in Rome in 2013, produced by Afrodita Theatre Company.
AUTUMN 2012
THE PORT, THE BEAST AND THE TRAVELLER
NEWHAVEN FORT
In 2012, Sara wrote and conceived a site specific play for Newhaven, The Port, The Beast and The Traveller, directed by Clare Raftery, produced by Veronica Stephens for Zap Art and Sara for Inroads.
A fantastic and unique production in an atmospheric setting ( audience membe
Also:
Kit de Survie, Scene Nationale de la Guadeloupe
Deux Soeurs/Earthquake, Paris, Autumn 2011
Head over Heels, Oxfordshire Touring Theatre
Fires in the Fields, (Theatre and Beyond, South East Tour)
A Special Relationship, commissioned by Lucy Pitman-Wallace (Co-production
with York Theatre Royal, national tour)
Only Drowning Men, commissioned by Soho Theatre.
End of the Line, an interactive/web playwriting project for whatsonstage.com/
Soho Theatre
The Cinnamon Veil (S. E. Tour, Theatre Melange);
Breaking the Ice (Pop-Up Theatre, national tour)
A Thousand Days (Old Red Lion) Finalist for the Susan Smith Blackburn
prize, for women who have written works of outstanding quality for the English-speaking theatre
Tonguetied (London New Play Festival at the Young Vic)
The Dark Room ( Triple Bill at Finborough) Time Out Critics’
Choice
Taking Liberties (Old Red Lion)
Grin and Bear It (Soho Theatre Company at the Cockpit)
THEATRE IN EDUCATION AND COMMUNITY THEATRE
Liam’s Story, with Oyster Project members, for East Sussex Records Office/Chailey Heritage School
Wedding Story for Nottingham Playhouse Roundabout team
Silence is Golden, verbatim/scripted piece for St Christopher’s
Hospice
Stop (Greenwich Young People’s Theatre schools tour)
Cellmates (National Theatre Education/Y Touring – Theatre of Debate
Project)
Sexfiles (Haringey/Enfield schools tour)
Mythica for BBC Schools Radio.
BOOKS
Making a Leap, with Anna Herrmann. Handbook for using drama with
young people, published by Jessica Kingsley, 1999. Subsequently translated into
Polish.
SCREENWRITING
MA in Screenwriting, London College of Printing (1999)
Resulting screenplay, Dancing Girls, selected for development by Moonstone
(Norway lab)