Francesca Millican-Slater
writer & performer
GOLD!
Gold still holds a special power over us.
But what has changed in the way we view this
precious metal since five kilos were buried in a Staffordshire field over 1,000 years ago? From the Hoard to gold-plated mobile phones and pawn shops, a sideways look at the metal that cannot be destroyed. A one woman show using story-telling, PowerPoint, lyricism and possibly some classic gold tracks.
An entertaining, thought-provoking show that is quite shiny, gold shiny.
Gold was performed as part of The Hoard Festival, New Vic Theatre, Stoke for 10 dates in July 2015. It ran for two more dates in a double bill with Caroline Horton's Tranklements at Birmingham Rep in April 2016.
Back in 2014 Theresa Heskins, artistic director of the New Vic gave me a provocation to make something for The Hoard festival. Reading the series of articles and ideas Theresa had put together around The Staffordshire Hoard, what caught my eye, started me thinking was the shiny stuff. Gold, what it meant to us then, what it has always meant to us, and what it means to us now. Through research and development with the New Vic, I made a show about Gold (called…Gold). A power point presentation with opportunity to hold the gold and hear stories ancient and modern, it got audiences drinking gold drinks, joining in, and not being able to get a certain song out of their head. Spandau Ballet..? Anyone?