Media Release for BATS Show

BATS and Pipi-Ayesha Evans Present

The Blue-Bearded Lady

By Pipi-Ayesha Evans

After performances in Brisbane, Mackay and Christchurch, Pipi-Ayesha Evans is bringing The Blue-Bearded Lady home to Wellington.

The Blue-Bearded Lady is a one-woman physical theatre and aerial dance show. Evans created it in Wellington, however took it further afield before bringing it back to perform in BATS.

This is a modern adult fairy-tale, inspired by the story of the wife-murdering Bluebeard, told by one of his wives (‘Lady Bluebeard’). She has entered the forbidden room, and is contemplating what her fate is to be.

Perhaps the secrets of her childhood can empower her to save herself.

Performer Pipi-Ayesha Evans states: ‘This show isn’t necessarily for everyone: I met a woman in Mackay whilst I was doing publicity for the show: I told her I perform topless, and she quickly handed me back my flyer, saying “Keep yourself clean for God” and walked away’.

She states: ‘I’m interested in the human body, and I personally find it fascinating to watch. While there’s some adult themes in the show, mostly I aim to turn my body into something non-sexualised, just something to watch, rather than being a titillating experience.’ The main character in The Blue-Bearded Lady uses her beard and her muscled body to physically confront the audience’s preconceptions of how a woman should look and behave. Pipi-Ayesha also does this by performing strong-woman type moves (circus moves typically performed by men).

“I aim to create work that is provocative, beautiful, and entertaining - combining high physicality with innovative storytelling to create compelling theatre that pushes both physical and creative boundaries, where circus informs the story."

Pipi-Ayesha has been teaching and performing circus in Wellington for the past 12 years, so is a familiar face in the local circus scene. She hopes to inspire current and future circus students with the way she explores new techniques of performance: ‘in my tissu [aerial fabric] piece, I started by aiming to forget all I knew, and tried to find new ways of moving with and relating to the fabric’.

‘a brave piece of work’
- Theatreview
‘Fantastic show absolutely loved it. The strength and ability of this tiny little lady was outstanding’
- Tammy Stone, Sensory Circus Tribe

Details:
The Blue-Bearded Lady
March 30 – April 2, 2016 7pm
BATS Theatre, 1 Kent Terrace
Book on-line www.bats.co.nz or ph (04) 802 4175