1066 What Women?

The plays featured Edith Swanneck who was married to Harold 2nd for twenty years before he left her in 1066 to strengthen his hold on the throne by marrying Ealdgyth. She was the widow of the Welsh King who Harold had killed in battle.  Also Emma of Normandy who had been wife of both King Cnut and Aethelred 2nd and according to the Anglo-Saxon Chronicle, had control of the treasury at the end of both their reigns so had huge influence over the country.

We created theatrical vignettes about these and the local women of the Saxons and the Normans to perform at strategic points along the walk working along side the sculptures so that the walk came alive with pop up surprises, comedy, music and beautifully costumed performers. We built the anticipation so that the audience were never quite sure what might happen next.

The performances took place at different spots along the newly opened Battle of Hastings walk by the sculptures created by local artist Keith Pettit, inspired by the Bayeux Tapestry and the heritage of 1066 Country.

We also performed the pieces at the Battle Street Festival in front of The Battle Abbey. 

The shows included live music, unicycle horses, acrobatic tapestry sewers and cannon ball globe walkers among other skills to enhance the narrative so that the performances were highly visual and interactive with lots of audience participation.