New play from RedCape Theatre comes to Barnfield Theatre

Part Victorian thriller, part contemporary tale of friendship and rebellion, RedCape Theatre’s new time-travelling, genre-busting show The Luminous will go on a UK tour this autumn. Delving into tales of old, the show employs the company’s trademark blend of physical theatre, dark comedy and gripping storytelling to explore the power of narratives to penetrate the present and forge unexpected connections.

Set in a modern-day book club, the action follows the course of one evening as three women discuss their chosen book - a schlocky melodrama set in Victorian London called Luminous. The wine is flowing, and the discussion gets heated as the women get drawn deeper into the narrative, from which lurid stories of ghastly Victorian England are brought to life. Tales of an anonymous killer haunting the city and women whose bones glow through their skin begin to awaken unexpected memories and connections for the women, and the world of the book begins to blur with their present reality.

Written by Catherine Dyson, The Luminous is being brought to stage by RedCape Theatre, originally founded by creative duo Cassie Friend and Rebecca Loukes, who will also star in the show. Drawn to ordinary people in extraordinary situations, the key mission of RedCape revolves around telling stories that matter. The productions are distinctly visual and highly physical with compelling new writing.

Increasingly important in our digital world, the play masterfully explores the central theme of community, specifically in the setting of book clubs. The female characters forge friendships and create a supportive space in which to reveal their own stories to each other. In doing so, the show highlights the importance of shared experiences in today’s society, and the centrality of communal spaces in enabling these connections.

In making the show, RedCape drew on research which identified the ways that book clubs bring people together, both in live spaces and online. Whether this be in walking book clubs, silent book clubs - where people read their own books in a shared space - and book clubs that focus on particular communities. The Luminous aims to appeal to book club members, encouraging them to come and see their experiences of being in these groups reflected in the show.

Writer Catherine Dyson and Artistic Directors Cassie Friend and Rebecca Loukes, comment, The original inspiration for The Luminous was sparked by our fascination with three protests from different eras in which women placed their bodies at the centre: the London Match Girls’ Strike of 1888, the Greenham Common protests in the 1970s and 80s and the Reclaim the Night movement which began in the 1970s and was revived recently in response to the death of Sarah Everard.

We thought a book club setting could be an interesting way to explore female friendship, and an exciting portal to access different time periods. We are really excited to share this gripping and inventive story with audiences. The Luminous is full of light and shade, and powerfully explores themes which are of huge relevance to our society today including violence against women, the appropriation of their bodies and the power of protest.

The Luminous by RedCape Theatre is on stage at the Barnfield Theatre in Exeter on 4 October.