We Caliban – “Something of such extraordinary beauty”

Last month we came to the end of our successful and much applauded seven-venue tour of We Caliban. We Caliban premiered at Snape Maltings in Suffolk in September 25 and journeyed from there to the Dorset coast, Coventry, York, Cornwall and finally, London where we had three shows at the amazing Sadler’s Wells East Theatre.

In addition, our engagement team and artists worked with local partners and communities to create workshops, flashmobs and curtain raiser performances as part of our Window into the Tempest programme.

Inspired by Shakespeare’s The Tempest, We Caliban takes a sideways and inventive look at Caliban, one of Shakespeare’s most intriguing creations – a rebellious and enslaved brown man.

Shobana Jeyasingh’s version imagines Caliban’s story before and after Shakespeare’s narrative. We Caliban offers a nuanced exploration of the cultural aspects of the colonial experience such as power exercised through language and sexual morals.

We would like to thank our audiences and participants, and our incredible creatives, performers, production and tech teams. This journey wouldn’t have been possible without them!

“I went to see We, Caliban the night before last and was amazed. I saw something of such extraordinary beauty, where the dancing was both tender and powerful. Every step was wonderfully, intentionally placed and yet, the movement seemed lithe and full of force. Marvellous. Thank you so much.” – audience member

“Exciting, powerful, beautiful, moving, vital, thought-provoking. An important mirroring of Shakespeare’s story. Amazing dancers. […] The thoughtfully crafted workshop I attended the following morning for our company of older dancers formed a wonderful counterpoint to the energy of the performance. I am so grateful for both and I would love more.” – audience member and participant