Anna Beecher
Theatre & Performance
I've worked in theatre for 15 years, as a writer and theatre-maker, community arts practitioner, reader and dramaturg.
The page contains highlights from the 12 shows I've created as a lead artist.
Nest at Lincoln Center.
Image: Luke Anthony Neville
Akin
I co-founded Akin with Rachel Lincoln in 2015. We create theatrical, sensory experiences for families, with direction by Rachel and text by me.
Our first show, Nest, has had over 100 performances at venues including, Lincoln Center in New York, Southbank , the Lowry and Brighton Dome where it was part of Brighton Festival, curated by Kate Tempest.
Nest was a New York Times and Time out New York 'best things to do with kids' pick.
'In one word, Nest is a joy. And words are important. Writer Anna Beecher with director Rachel Lincoln ensure that the aural pleasures of language come alive'
British Theatre Guide.
Our second show, We Cover the Universe, was presented as a live online experience by the Barbican in December 2020 with support from Farham Maltings and Arts Council England.
You can find out more about Akin here.
Plays
Skin of the Teeth
A one-man play, based on the Grimm's fairytale, The Boy Who Went Forth to Learn to Shudder, presented at the Edinburgh Fringe, Vault Festival, the Ophelia Theater New York and Scranton Shakespeare Festival. Skin of the Teeth was performed by Daniel Holme and directed by Rachel Lincoln.
Press:
'Dark, distinctive writing from an intriguing new voice'
THE STAGE
'Anna Beecher's tough, hallucinatory writing sticks in the mind,.. spellbinding piece of work...as unsettling as it is bewitching'
THE LIST
The Surplus
A new play, commissioned by Young Vic Taking Part and performed by a cast of 60 at the Young Vic in 2015. Exploring technology, myth and resistance, The Surplus was directed by Jonathan O'Boyle, with design by Cecilia Carey.
The Surplus, Young Vic
Solo Performance &
Storytelling
My first solo show, Living Things, was created over 3 years at Battersea Arts Centre. It was a deeply personal collection of stories, poems and songs, performed in a room of twinkling lights, birthday cake and feathers created by Kirsty Harris. Living Things was filmed for the British Library's Performance Archive. Click herefor details of how to access the recording.
My subsequent 3 solo shows, Hedgehog Boy, The Singing Spring Lark and Wildman, were retellings of Grimm's Fairytales. These pieces were originally commissioned by Art in Action Festival.
Living Things, BAC