Our project
We're producing a triple bill of original solo plays that explore themes of queerness, feminism, bodily autonomy, gender roles, and activism throughout the 20th century--And we need your help to bring our show to life!
Our Show
These Roots are Made for Walking
Three solo plays, one night, decades of voices.
Three new plays illuminate untold stories from history, reimagining the past and reigniting hope for the future.
The Eye of Dawn
Written, performed, and directed by Isabel Hees.
When women's stories are recorded, who gets the last word? Mata Hari is a woman caught between myth and truth, but The Eye of Dawn gives a voice to the multiplicity of her existence. Loosely inspired by Paulo Coelho’s The Spy, this monologue reconciles the exotic performer, accused traitor, and the femme fatale archetype. Within the four walls of a room, not one of her own, her narrative is told with flair, vulnerability, and edge. This is not a textbook account, but a take on her lived experience with a healthy serving of absurdism, irony, and well, now that we’re taking the stage anyway, show.
She
Written, performed, and directed by Emily Wollenberg.
It’s 1941. London rains with bombs. A young woman named Nan works in an artillery factory by day and impersonates a Victorian gentleman by night. When she reunites with an old friend on the factory floor, the embers of their affection reignite. As the world burns around them, Nan must decide: Will she smother her desires or risk it all for the one she truly loves? Inspired by Sarah Waters’s novel, Tipping the Velvet, “She” is a fictional tale filled with tap dancing, sapphic waltzes, undercover nuns, and real love letters, echoing historical accounts of queer love and yearning.
Lesbians Eat Fire
Written, performed, and directed by Caro Vinden.
In 1995, AIDS hovers over New York City like a tsunami, threatening to sweep away and drown everything Lesbian Avenger Joanne knows. She’s lost her first love but yearns to keep her flame alive as desire, anger, joy, and danger collide. Lesbians Eat Fire asks what it means to carry the fire for those who came before us, how we survive when losing our anchor points, and how queer bodies continue to resist erasure. A story set to the sound of waves and protest blends embodied storytelling and archival memory. It's a personal confession reflecting our collective history. Inspired by the lived histories of the Lesbian Avengers, Angels in America by Tony Kushner, and lesbian activism of the 1990s, this new play is about staying alive when hope feels impossible.
Who we are
We're Emily, Caro, and Isabel--theatremakers and actors hailing from the United States, Norway, and the Netherlands. We met through our master's program at East 15 Acting School. Using poetry, physicality, song, and dance, we share our culture, viewpoints, and knowledge from around the globe.
Unearthed Theatre Company is a London-based theatre collective of international artists and the creators of The Lesbians of Forest Gate. Through intentional research and honest storytelling, Unearthed strives to dig deeper and shed light on those often written out of history.
Where will the money go?
- Booking rehearsal spaces (this is one of the highest costs)
- Props/costumes/set
- Marketing: Printing posters and flyers
- Dance classes (to put our best foot forward for this show)
- Transportation (to and from rehearsal and the performance venue)
- Paying ourselves! We love what we do, but we'd rather not be starving artists forever.
If we raise more than our target goal, all funds will go to the Unearthed Theatre Company account to fund future creative projects about queer/feminist theatre.
Rewards
£25 or more - a thank you in our program
Find us here
Follow us on Instagram @unearthedtheatrecompany to see updates to our project!
Every LITTLE BIT COUNTS
We know asking for money can be awkward, especially when our community mostly comprises other creatives trying to make their art happen! Every bit donated, no matter how big or small, helps us--truly.
And if you can't support financially, don't worry! We'd love it if you could share this project on socials, with your friends, enemies, your rich vampire great uncle twice removed...However you can support, we are endlessly grateful!
- Emily, Isabel, and Caro
