Stay after the show and discover more of The Farmer’s Wife
Throughout the run, we’re inviting audiences to stay with us after selected performances for a special programme of film screenings and post-show conversations, taking you further into the real lives, ideas and creative process behind the production.
ROOTED HERE: Women, farming and the stories behind The Farmer’s Wife
Monday 28 September, Friday 2 October & Saturday 10 October
The Farmer’s Wife began with Helen Rebanks’ memoir and grew through conversations with women across Cumbria’s farming community.
As part of the research and development of the play, writer Hannah Khalil and director Liz Stevenson met women from the farming community, listening to their experiences of work, family, livestock, the land and the changing realities of farming in Cumbria.
Four of those women share their stories in ROOTED HERE.
Their experiences helped inform the world of The Farmer’s Wife, but these are their own lives, told in their own words.
The film is approximately 30 minutes long. Following a short interval after the performance, there will be two screenings. Seating is unreserved and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Film Credit: Grant Archer and Rachel Kearns with music by Mark Melville
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The Real Farmers Behind the Story
Wednesday 30 September
Join Helen Rebanks, photographer and Forty Farms creator Amy Bateman, Maria Benjamin who runs Lake District Tweed and Ruby Nicholson from Hollows Farm for a conversation about the realities of farming life in Cumbria today and how the experiences shared during the play’s development helped shape the world of The Farmer’s Wife.
Facilitated by Associate Director Anna Berentzen.
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ROOTED HERE: Women, farming and the stories behind The Farmer’s Wife
Friday 2 October
Stay with us after the performance of The Farmer’s Wife for a screening of ROOTED HERE: Women, farming and the stories behind The Farmer’s Wife.
Meet some of the real women, farms and stories that helped inform the world audiences have seen on stage. The film is approximately 30 minutes long. Following a short interval after the performance, there will be two screenings. Seating is unreserved and available on a first-come, first-served basis.
Film Credit: Grant Archer and Rachel Kearns with music by Mark Melville
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Meet the Company
Monday 5 October
How do you bring The Farmer’s Wife from rehearsal room to stage?
Join members of the cast and stage management team for a relaxed post-show conversation led by Associate Director Anna Berentzen, exploring the rehearsal process, life behind the scenes and the work involved in bringing this world to life on the Main House stage.
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Helen Rebanks in Conversation with Anna Jones
Wednesday 7 October
Author Helen Rebanks joins BBC Radio 4 broadcaster Anna Jones for a special conversation exploring farming, family, identity and the changing role of women in rural communities.
A chance to hear Helen reflect on some of the ideas at the heart of her memoir and the wider conversations surrounding women, farming and rural life today.
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Making The Farmer’s Wife
Friday 9 October
From memoir to conversations around Cumbrian kitchen tables, from the rehearsal room to the Main House stage.
Playwright Hannah Khalil, director Liz Stevenson and author Helen Rebanks come together to discuss the inspiration behind The Farmer’s Wife, the research and creative process, and the journey of transforming Helen’s memoir into a new piece of theatre.
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ROOTED HERE – final screening
Saturday 10 October
Stay with us after the final performance of The Farmer’s Wife for the last screening of ROOTED HERE: Women, farming and the stories behind The Farmer’s Wife.
A fitting way to close the run: returning to some of the real women, farms and stories that helped inform the world audiences have seen on stage.
Film Credit: Grant Archer and Rachel Kearns with music by Mark Melville