ASHBURTON: Arts Centre

Saturday 2nd December, 2023

7:00pm

Event information

Ploughing The Salt Sea is a solo autobiographical music theatre show, drawing on Bev Lee Harling's recently discovered rich heritage of centuries old, fishing family roots in Hastings. The narrative, drawn from the suds of the Old Town Wash House, told through the eyes of the overlooked women, seeks to rewrite their stories of boats lost at sea and local life, back into our current consciousness through original and traditional folk song.

While the obvious themes are fishing-community related, the show also connects universally to women, secrecy, loss, and finding your own voice, and is therefore suitable for venues that aren’t in coastal locations.

Following each performance the audience is invited to join a reflective, post show, community conversation with Bev, guided by Dr. Mo Cohen. This is our opportunity to come together and get to the heart of the experience we just shared.

Declared ‘simply brilliant’ by BBC6 DJ Gilles Peterson, Bev is a multi-genre vocalist, violinist and composer working across performance, theatre, dance, film and opera bringing classical, folk, jazz and found sounds to her projects and collaborations.

Bev’s debut album Barefoot in Your Kitchen, released on Wah Wah 45s, was named ‘Album of the Week’ on BBC radio 6 and enjoyed widespread global radio play, as has her latest album ‘Little Anchor’, a musical travelogue exploring motherhood, family and loss.
Previous artist/producer collaborations include Talvin Singh, Netsky, Katharine Blake, Kavus Torabi, Sophie Barker, The Destroyers and Cleveland Watkiss.

Bev has been featured on many soundtracks for dance-theatre and ballet productions at venues such as the Royal Opera House, Sadler’s Wells, Northern Ballet, and Live from Television Centre BBC 4. She performed live with ballet stars Edward Watson and Wendy Whelan in their show Other Stories, at the Royal Opera House and City Centre New York.
Collaborating with composer Frank Moon and choreographer Arthur Pita, their Sadler’s Wells production of Ten Sorry Tales received critical acclaim in Autumn 2022.
She has composed several short film scores including the Channel 4 production ‘Thinspiration’, highlighting eating disorders in young women.

Bev has toured widely in the USA and Europe with classical chart topping act Mediaeval Baebes. Most recently she was vocal soloist for Karl Jenkins’ Stabat Mater in Marbella, Spain and for ‘Bloom Britannia’ composed by Orlando Gough for the Barefoot Opera company in 2021.

Written and performed by Bev Lee Harling
Directed by Dr. Mo Cohen
Sound Design: Frank Moon
Set Design: Simon Daw
Choreography: Arthur Pita Costume Design: Rosa Dias Producer: Mae Dewsbery
75 minute performance, no interval.