Join us for story, song and aerial performance as we discover and celebrate the lives of local women, past and present!
Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Women - Friday 10th March 2023 7-10pm
Katherine Hart - Aerial Performance
Katherine Hart has been performing on stage, screen and street for 20+ years and shows no signs of stopping or even slowing down. She loves combining aerial skills with text and character as opposed to purely conventional circus styles, as well as breathing life into cultural and historic icons such as Ann Bonny, the Pirate Queen. She brings her signature charm and enthusiasm to Rhayader with a piece devised around the life and story of local trailblazer Emmeline Lewis-Lloyd, one of the first female mountaineers.
Lisa Schneidau - Storytelling
Lisa Schneidau is a storyteller and environmentalist. She seeks out, and shares, traditional stories about the land and our complex relationship with it. Lisa is the author of the bestselling Botanical Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland, Woodland Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland and River Folk Tales of Britain and Ireland (all History Press).
Kate Green - Musician, Walker and Artist
In the Valley beyond Rhayader, a colossal feat of Victorian engineering has supplied the city of Birmingham with fresh water for almost 120 years. The Elan Valley is an important local landmark, and holds the stories of drowned villages, a migrant worker population, technological marvels and the only Arts & Crafts village in Wales.
In 2019 during her artist residency in the Elan Valley Kate Green created ‘Walking the Pipe’ a community project of songs, events and walks inspired by the aqueduct. She walked the full 73 miles of pipe, from the Elan Valley to Birmingham, writing and performing songs in a style that would have been popular during the building of the dams in the 1880s and 1890s.
“Kate created a tapestry of words, movement and connection. There are many little tributaries of ideas – reaching out and drawing in people; encouraging us to listen and observe – the sky, earth and water and all things in between. Above all we are connected with one another however loosely. I am much heartened by this.”- Audience Feedback
This event is free, but booking is highly recommended.
Please also note that we will be filming the event from the back of the seating area. Your face will not be seen on the final film. However if you would prefer to not be seen, let us know on arrival and we will seat you at the side, off-camera.
Jimmy Tutti will be serving Intelligent Cocktails, and our bar will be open with our usual selection of hot drinks and wine. There will also be nibbles!
There is also an exhibition in the space, covering local women’s history. You may be curious to discover the lives of women during the first and second world wars, rural ‘wise women’ and the services they provided for the local community, or hear the trailblazing exploits of local celebrities such as Emmeline Lewis-Lloyd, one of the first female mountaineers. You can also hear perspectives from local women today - and add your own, if you like.
We have another Ordinary Lives, Extraordinary Women event on Wednesday 8th March which requires separate booking