Big Teeth

Dearnley, Elizabeth

Abstract

Two people, perhaps complete strangers, go to bed together. But what happens next?

Gripped by the Great Freeze of 1947, with wolf-whistling spivs and other predatory characters skulking round every corner, London could be a dangerous place for an unwary girl. In this immersive theatre installation, audiences are invited to step back in time into the bedroom of young waitress Ruby Hunter, where they listen to an apparently familiar tale unfold. But there is always more than one side to every story. What really happened? How well do we ever know the people we get into bed with?

Through the curtain and between the sheets, in the space between fairy tale and wickedly subversive horror, Big Teeth weaves together elements of Red Riding Hood, 1940s detective serials and recorded sound into a bedtime story with a bite. Expect red cloaks, wolves, and suspiciously tasty pies.

Big Teeth was originally developed with Upstart Theatre as part of Upstart's second annual DARE Festival, and staged in the atmospheric basement beneath Shoreditch Town Hall. Entering Ruby's bedroom in pairs, audience members are invited to explore the space, listen to a crackling soundscape playing from her radio, sit at her dressing table and flick through her movie magazines, and then climb into her bed to hear her story.

Citation

Dearnley, E. Big Teeth. [Immersive theatre installation]. 30 September 2017 - 8 July 2018. (Unpublished)

• Exhibition Performance Type: Other
• Start Date: Sep 30, 2017
• End Date: Jul 8, 2018
• Deposit Date: Nov 16, 2023
• Public URL: http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/3387285
• Related Public URLs: https://redhoodproductions.co.uk/big_teeth_touring_pack.pdf