Five women spin tales of life, survival and knitting
Craftspace and MAC Birmingham present a new play by Trevor Pitt
Yarning, MAC Birmingham performance (Photo: Nick Hynan)
Exploring craft in an expanded field
Birmingham
2016
….a sensitive, touching, truly collaborative work, rooted in making, whether what you knit is a sweater, a theatrical production, a family or an entire community.
Emma Crichton-Miller, Crafts magazine review July/August 2016.
Taking a road trip across the UK, Trevor Pitt collected remarkable stories from women about their lifelong relationship with wool – knitting, spinning, felting and weaving. Through spoken word, music, image and sound, their fascinating yarns are told on a flock of knitted benches made by groups in different parts of the country.
Yarning is performed in the round on knitted benches and he audience are encouraged to bring along their knitting!
The play
Five women spin yarns of their lives and how they grew up with knitting.
Performed as a series of interweaving monologues, each story is life affirming, telling of survival against the odds to achieve a dream.
Trevor’s first play draws on his 10 years working with knitters, spinners and sheep farmers from across the country. Using recordings he made with the remarkable women he met along the way, Yarning tells five women’s life stories whose ages span from 30 to 70.
The characters
Ashley turns from scientist to professional knitter, specialising in jumpers for XXXXL men.
At the age of 6 Greta went to live at the Doctor’s house with her Aunty who was an amazing knitter.
Betty moved her family from Manchester to Cumbria to become a sheep farmer.
Gloria was born in Scarborough Workhouse and raised by relatives on the Colliery Rows, where everyone knitted.
Marion’s house is full to the rafters with wool and crafting paraphernalia and she loves it.
Production
Music composed by Michael Tanner.
Yarning was produced as part of Craftspace Curates exploring craft in an expanded field.
Craftspace Curates
The Craftspace Curates season, in partnership with mac Birmingham, continued throughout 2016 and encouraged audiences to consider the role of craft and the maker in society through a series of commissions and events which include live performance, film, digital media and public art.
You can find out more about the Craftspace Curates season of events here.
