"What happens to all the clever little girls?"
The face that launched a thousand ships finally gets to speak.Meet Helen, before Troy, in this feminist retelling of the Ancient Greek epic. Witness her divine beginnings (yes, she did hatch from an egg!), her youth as a Spartan warrior, her fateful decision to leave her husband, and finally the decade of brutal war and destruction that follows.That Witch Helen blends myth, movement, and storytelling to give Helen of Troy, one of history’s most hated women, a chance to tell her own story.
Lambeth fringe - 13 October 2024
A new version premiering at the Lambeth Fringe!
The Bread and Roses Theatre, Clapham: 13 October - 5pm
I was thrilled to present this July at the Celtic Conference in Classics Cardiff 2024 as part of the "New Epic Modes" with Dr Amanda Potter: "Amanda Potter in conversation with Catie Ridewood on creating 'That Witch Helen' from epic and other sources for performance at Brighton Fringe 2024"
Photos: Peter Williams - Brighton Fringe 2024
Reviews
★★★★
"At its heart this is a feminist play which poses some serious questions about the nature of heroism."
- Susan Elkin, London Pub Theatres
"That Witch Helen really is a ‘Must-See’ show. If you’re a classicist – if you’re a feminist – or if you just love powerful performances, catch the show."
- Strat Mastoris, FringeReview
"Eddisford directs three athletic, elemental creatures, with powerful voice and physical presence, Yu and Mastrosavaki’s shifting transformations led by Ridewood’s visceral powerhouse Helen.
Ridewood's writing blends and contrasts the stylised formal language and presentation of Greek theatre, with naturalistic teen girl dialogue and free spirited larking about."
- Philippa Hammond, Sussex Playwrights Reviews
"This cast of three take on a very production values-heavy performance and never stumble once [...] At every point Helen is made into a believable character, sometimes deciding for herself, sometimes swept along by events outside her control."
- Chris Neville-Smith, Chris on Theatre
Performances
The full-length play premiered at Brighton Fringe in May 2024 with a sold-out run at the Lantern Theatre. In September 2024 That Witch Helen was selected as part of the programme for the debut SEFest at The Bridge House Theatre in Penge and The Jack Studio Theatre in Brockley.
Development
Excerpts of That Witch Helen have been performed at Scratch/Meet in Brighton, the Nothing 2 Perform Scratch Night at the Glitch in London, and at the FemFest Scratch Night in Brighton.
Photo: Alix - FemFest Scratch Night
Photo: Julia Dray - Nothing 2 Perform Scratch Night
Photo: Amanda Hallam Lane - Scratch/Meet