English folklore, national identity and M&S underwear will all be explored in an evening of spoken-word performances coming to Liverpool Hope University’s Capstone Theatre this November.
Knickers and Queens: Stories From Mythic England is a fierce and funny double-bill of storytelling for adults by contemporary storyteller and Liverpool Hope lecturer, Dr Stephe Harrop.
The show, which takes place at 7:30pm on Wednesday 23 November, sees half-remembered histories, medieval literature and unique takes on modern life combine for a thoughtful examination of England’s imaginative state in 2022.
Harrop, who recently headlined at the International Storytelling Festival Alden Biesen in Belgium and Glasgow’s Village Storytelling Festival, returns to Liverpool for a show which features two separate routines.
Henry V: The King’s Knickers is an ambitious performance combining history, Shakespeare, and really big pants to ask what a mythic hero king - and huge knickers - can tell us about being English today.
New for 2022 is a companion piece, Queens of Albion: Bronze and Stone, which fuses medieval poetry with autobiography, reimagining the legend of England’s mythic mothers for an age of identity anxiety and falling statues.
“I often hear people lamenting that England has no stories, or that its stories have been lost, but that just isn’t true,” Stephe explains.
“Knickers and Queens sets out to show that revisiting old stories can help us imagine new futures, sparking a sense of creative community in uncertain, divisive times”.
Stephe is an Associate Professor of Drama at the University's School of Creative and Performing Arts, based at the Creative Campus in Liverpool city centre.
Alongside her academic work, she delivers performances across the UK and beyond and loves telling English and Scottish fairytales, the fiery folklore of the Anglo-Scottish Borders, and salvaged stories from England’s historic and mythic pasts.
Inspired by oral traditions, Stephe’s repertoire constantly evolves to ensure each live performance is unique and unrepeatable.
Tickets for Knickers and Queens: Stories From Mythic England are on sale now at Ticket Quarter and are priced at £11.50.
Hope staff and students can claim free tickets for this performance by showing their University ID card on arrival.