A short summary of your project
We are raising money for our upcoming performance of Big Love by Charles L. Mee. A modern adaptation of Aeschylus' The Suppliant Women, Big Love follows 50 brides seeking refuge from forced marriage to their 50 cousins. Can three of these sisters, leading the charge against their predetermined fate, reconcile with their different experiences with love, men, and free will before all hell breaks loose? The grooms are bringing the altar to them (like it or not), the place settings are arranged, and it's nearly time to say "I Do!" Directed by Sarah Hyojin Kim (Peculiar Matter), with live music by Chloe Mason (@qloemusic).
Who are you?
The team for Big Love includes 10 members, almost all of us East15 alumni, and in Filip’s case, current student. Since graduating, Sophie, Shelby, Marie, and Judy have founded their theatre company Bite The Hand: a new company that creates theatre with fangs. We were united by our experiences as international artists eager to create art for anyone fighting to exist in their own body. Sarah Hyojin Kim, who graduated the MFA Directing course at East15 joins the team as the visionary director, as well as Chloe Mason, our on-stage live "Wedding DJ".
Your story
In a world where women’s rights are put on trial, women are choosing the safety of solitude over the delusion of romance. As young men are increasingly influenced by incel and male supremacist movements, women have, as a result, stopped wanting to get married, have children, go on dates or even let men into their inner social circles.
It feels like men and women are moving in opposite directions, and soon will be out of each other’s sight. Naturally, we thought: “Let’s make theatre about it.” We chose Big Love, because it mirrored our own grief, frustration, and acceptance that we were eager to express on stage.
The characterization of the 3 sisters and 3 brothers representing the respectively 50 siblings introduces them as products/the embodiment of the gender conflict created by the patriarchy, underlined by a exaggerated gender binary.
By the end, the play has us asking ourselves questions like: Has falling in Love become an un-feminist act? Can Love bridge the growing gap between men and women? If not, what is to become of us, as creatures who innately desire companionship and affection?
The Big Love Project aims to engage with the younger generation approaching the average marriage age who are familiar with the unsettling state of intergender dynamics.
Additionally, we also aim to get real people’s voices and perspectives on their modern romantic relationships, their views on modern marriage and its values/hazards, and real life experiences to add to the development and further marketing of the project.
Following the original text materials’ themes of asylum and refuge seeking, we aim to pair with Makani, a charity that directly supports women seeking sanctuary in the UK as well as
Palestinian and Syrian women in Lebanon.
Where will the money go?
What will you spend the funding on if you hit your minimum
- Seed money for R&D time incl.:
- Rehearsal space: £400
- set & props for improvisation (for example an actual bathtub!): £100
- equipment rental (camera): £80
- prints of posters and flyers: £20
- more equipment rental potential (for ex. cameras with projector: £100)
- costumes for showing: £100
- venue hire for showing: £200
- live electronic music designer and light technician's wages: £200
What will you do with extra funds if things really take off and you raise more than your target? (we have big dreams for this play)
- bigger venue!
- movement director
- videographer
- copyrighted music
- ideal staging with props (bathtub!), costume (wedding dresses!) and equipment (projection, hand held camcorder)
Images and video:
Find us here:
Find us on instagram under @bitethehandprods!
