BY STEPHANIE GREENWOOD
Poster by Lizzy Rogers
Steph's dealt with death before. This one's different.
Steph has stories to tell you. She wants to tell you about her birthday, her heroic grandmother, and how her ukulele playing is coming along. She definitely does not want to tell you how it feels to lose a friend. She could if she wanted to, it’s not that she can’t, it’s just that … well, you don’t want to hear that anyway, do you?
It’s Beautiful, Over There is a close look at the hard work of telling the stories that matter the most.
Reviews for It's Beautiful, Over There:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
"The storytelling is brilliant and it is impossible not to get swept up in the joy and sadness of her tales"
- London Theatre 1
⭐⭐⭐⭐
"Greenwood is a compelling stage presence and her nuanced performance is captivating."
- Sue in the Stalls
⭐⭐⭐⭐
"The whole experience is most definitely a treat."
- Everything Theatre
Cast & Creatives
Writer Stephanie Greenwood
Dramaturgy and Direction John Michael MacDonald
Lighting Krysianna Papadakis
Sound James Abbott-Grobicki
Producers Charlotte Keith for Very Rascals.
Cast
Stephanie Greenwood
A History
"Maybe when we die, it is our words that carry on
those lingering sentences and half finished
thoughts carried in the ears and the hearts of those to whom they were spoken."
Lindsay Riddoch
It's Beautiful, Over There started off as Stephanie's Honours Thesis at university. The story dealt with the death of her grandfather and her grappling with the legacy of her name.
In December 2017, Lindsay Riddoch - a friend of Stephanie's from sixth form - died. Stephanie rewrote the piece for the Camden Fringe in 2018 and included Lindsay's poetry in the piece. It was here that she met John Michael, who was instrumental in restructuring the story and bringing the whole piece to life. It's Beautiful, Over There had a month-long run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in August 2019 at Venue 13 (run by Royal Welsh) and then a week transfer at the Tristan Bates Theatre at the Actor's Centre in February 2020.
It's Beautiful, Over There raised money for Words that Carry On during all three of its runs.
Words That Carry On is a fund dedicated to investing in mental health research. It has been set up in memory of Lindsay Riddoch, an ardent advocate for better mental health services who was intent on ensuring people who lived with mental health problems had their voices heard.
You can read more about Lindsay and donate to WTCO here:
You can find Lindsay's poetry on soundcloud. The poem 'Call Me' was incorporated into It's Beautiful, Over There.
