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Performance Live ‘I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. trip’

 

Originally conceived as a theatre piece, by 20 Stories High and Contact, I told my Mum I was going on an R.E. Trip… toured to theatre and community venues across the UK in 2016. Its film journey began shortly after, when theatre professionals Julia Samuels (20 Stories High) and Roxanne Moores (Contact) joined forces with film director Lindy Heymann to translate the piece as a BBC/Arts Council England commission. It was first broadcast on BBC Two in January 2017.

The piece is a frank, funny and moving drama about four young women’s abortion experiences, told verbatim from real interviews, with spoken word and urban-afro music. After being broadcast on BBC2, R.E. trip was selected to be screened at the prestigious and largest North American documentary festival Hot Docs, in Toronto, Canada, where it came third in the Audience Award for best mid-length documentary. It was also selected for Underwire (London), Pilot Light TV Festival (Manchester), FILMSTOCK (Luton).

The piece was featured as pick of the day/critics’ choice in The Times, The Guardian, The Observer and the Telegraph, and received media coverage including BBC Breakfast News, Elle Magazine.

    This is as far removed from a sexual health lecture as you can imagine.

    The Sunday Times

      The technique used here is bracingly direct.

      The Times

        …a potent mix of intimacy, immediacy and naturalism.

        The Daily Telegraph

          …warm yet confronting…now deservedly brought to a wider audience.

          The Guardian

          Credits

          Co-produced by Contact and 20 Stories High
          Directed by Lindy Heymann
          Written by Julia Samuels
          Featuring Jamie-Lee O’Donnell, Aizah Khan, Emma Burns and Dorcas Sebuyange
          Developed by 20 Stories High and Contact in association with Battersea Arts Centre and Arts Council England

          Credits & Partners