Scary Little Girls is an English production hub based in London and Cornwall. Most of their work revolves around literary and matri-focal themes. They also do comedy and cabaret work with predominantly female casts. They are a charity registered in England and Wales under charity number 1136270. The co-artistic directors are Rebecca Mordan and Sharon Andrew.
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History
Scary Little Girls was founded in 2002 by actress and activist Rebecca Mordan and became an official charity in 2005, when Sharon Andrew joined as co-artistic director.
Between 2002 and 2005, Scary Little Girls did various school workshops, a production of Dracula (2003) with a female Dracula and a production of Maria Stuart (2005). In this time, Scary Little Girls also did Mother Mae I!, a cabaret that features various acts such as puppetry, musical comedy, stand up and magic. The piece was part of the resurgence of cabaret in London in the early 21st century. Most of the performers are women. The event is either hosted by Riot Showgrrls, Bunny More than or de Plumes. The show later had residences at The Oak Bar on Greenlanes and at the Camden Head in Angel.
General
Scary Little Girls has mainly been active in England. Previous shows include The Ladies' Cage (2007), which focuses on Anna Parnell and the women of the Ladies Land League. It is set in the 1890s in the English and Irish land wars of the era. The production uses research material by Professor Margaret Ward, and her previously unpublished research on Anna Parnell. In 2007, the company was funded by the Duke of Cornwall Benevolent Fund to produce a series of "Positive Behavior" sessions at Ludgvan Community Primary School Suffragettes: 100 Years (2009) was a joint project with Naomi Paxton. There were readings of plays by members of the Actresses' Franchise League, followed by talks by academics and actors. The event launched a book of plays, many of which had previously been unpublished.
Literary Cabaret
Many of Scary Little Girls' shows have literary themes, including their Literary Cabarets and Living Literature Walks. Their Literary Cabarets include:
The Best of Times: a Charles Dickens Literary Cabaret Is a 3-woman cabaret based on the life of Charles Dickens. The show focuses on his personal life. Wilde Nights is a show inspired by Oscar Wilde that was commissioned by Brighton Fringe.
Edinburgh Fringe Festival
In 2008, Scary Little Girls brought The Riot Showgrrls Club to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show was a pro-sex, anti-porn cabaret performed at The Gilded Balloon. It was written and performed by Rebecca Mordan and Kate Kerrow. In 2009, they then took the show to the Glastonbury Festival.
In 2013, the company went to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival for The Full Bronte, a literary cabaret based on the lives of the Brontë sisters.
In 2015, the company performed Salon du Chocolat at the Voodoo Rooms from August 8-18. The salon included excerpts from banned books such as Lady Chatterley's Lover and The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. It also included music by The Dresden Dolls and Annie Lennox.
Living Literature Walks
Living Literature Walks are theatrical walks that take a small group through a town to explore its history. Previous walks were about subjects such as Agatha Christie, Daphne Du Maurier, Elizabeth Barrett Browning and more.
Dracula: The Kisses
Dracula: The Kisses is Scary Little Girls' largest performance to date. The all-female cast and new text explore gender and queer themes in a gothic steampunk setting. The play was written by Rebecca Mordan and directed by Helen Tennison. The show's first run was September 22–26, 2014 at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. The show then went up to Birmingham to perform at the mac Birmingham and performed there October 30–31, 2014.
Wild Woman's Hour
In 2013, Scary Little Girls won an award from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education (NIACE) for Wild Woman's Hour. Wild Woman's Hour is a monthly radio programme created and presented by women. It was jointly created by Scary Little Girls and Radio St. Austell Bay to give women a platform to discuss their experiences and help them develop new skills. The project was funded by Feast, a programme of the Cornwall Arts Centre Trust, an Arts Council National portfolio organization.
Film
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Scary Little Girls' filmed "Culling," a short film set in a dystopian future where a lifesaving cure is scarce and a doctor finds herself in a moral compromise. The screenplay was written and co-produced by Kate Kerrow. The film is set to release in late 2014.
Associate Artists
Kate Smurthwaite
Danny Searle
Dickon Knowles
Joannah Tincey
John Gorick
Kate Kerrow
Kayleigh Hilsdon
Laura Trevail
Naomi Paxton
Rebecca Mordan
Sally Mortemore
Sharon Andrew
TJ Holmes