Paula's Story, a moving true drama about the life of Chickenshed's writer-in-residence, Paula Rees, will play The Studio Theatre Chickenshed Chase Side, Southgate, London N14 4PE from today, 30 April to Saturday 17 May 2014.
Paula Rees has a fantastic story to tell. It is an incredibly journey of love, courage and commitment in the belief that every single human being has the right to be nurtured.
Set in the late 1970s and 1980s, it tells of the magical breakthrough moment when a mother and daughter communicate for the first time through to the discovery and blossoming of Paula's talent as a poet, write and lyricist.
Paula was born with cerebral palsy. Medical experts tell her family that there is little hope of her ever leaning or understanding anything. However, spurred on by the love for their daughter and convinced that there is a connection and understanding - Paula's parents fight for her to be appreciated as something more than a statistic.
Paula's Story was the very first production in our Studio Theatre and we are very proud to be putting on this play as a part of our 40th Anniversary Year. The play is directed by Mary Ward, Chickenshed's Artistic Director and will see the return to the stage of Louise Perry, Chickenshed's Head of Performance.
The play, with music by Jo Collins and lyrics by Paula Rees herself, is both a powerful, and at times, humorous tale of one family's fight for their daughter's talent to be recognised.
The fight for all human beings to be acknowledged for what they can do runs to the core of Chickenshed's ethos, making this play as relevant today as it was when first performed in 1993.
Times: Evenings performances at 7.30pm; Thursday Matinees at 1pm, Saturday matinee at 3.30pm. Price: £10 / £8 concessions. Box Office 020 8292 9222, email: bookings@Chickenshed.org.uk or book online at www.chickenshed.org.uk. Captioned performance: Thursday 15 May 7.30pm. Sign interpreted performances: Friday 9 May 7.30pm. Press Night: Wednesday 30 April at 7.30pm.
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