Faustus That Damned Woman - Relaxed Performance Sensory Guide

Relaxed Performance 15th February @ 7.45pm Carne Theatre, LAMDA Running Time: 2 Hours 5 Minutes, including a 15 minute interval.

Content warnings: Contains themes of an adult nature and some scenes that audiences may find distressing, including death, sexual assault, violence and misogyny.

RELAXED PERFORMANCES AT LAMDA • You are welcome to come and go from the theatre as you need.

• There is a break-out room available.

• House lighting is on low throughout, never going to full black-out.

• Loud noises are reduced in sound level.

• No strobe lighting Is used.

• You are welcome to react to the show however you may need.

• At the end of this document is a show synopsis/sensory guide.

Here is a guide to sensory information symbols in this document: Indicates potentially loud or sudden noises

Indicates bright or sudden lighting changes

Indicates a sad or potentially distressing scene

Indicates fighting, or use of guns/weapons

Arriving at LAMDA

When you arrive at LAMDA, the box office is to your right. You should pick up your ticket here, using your name.

You will be asked to show proof of double vaccination using the NHS App, or a negative lateral flow result taken in the last 24 hours.

Unless you are exempt, you will be asked to wear a mask at all times while in the building.

Toilets are located right next to box office.

Toile

LAMDA staff will be wearing LAMDA branded T-Shirts. If you need any assistance whilst in the building, please ask them.

This is the Theatre Foyer. You may be asked to wait here until the house is open.

This performance will take place in the Carne Theatre.

This is the entrance.

When you enter the theatre, an Usher will take your ticket from you. You are welcome to sit where you like.

This is what the stage will look like when you enter.

You can come and go from the space whenever you like.

The house lights will stay on low throughout the show.

There is a break-out space called ‘The Rittner Room’ which you are welcome to use at any point during the performance. It can be accessed via the stairs or lift in the main entrance foyer.

If you aren’t sure at any point during your visit where to go, please ask an usher.

Before the show begins, the actors will introduce themselves and the characters they are playing.

There is an interval in this performance. This will be indicated by the lights getting brighter. It will be 15 minutes long. You are welcome to stay in your seat.

An usher will let you know when the show is starting again. The house lights will dim.

The lights in the theatre will become brighter, and you can exit the theatre through the door you came in through.

At the end of the show the actors will come on and bow. You are welcome to clap at this point if you would like.

CHARACTERS:

Elinor Crawley plays Violet/Marie

Here is a picture of Elinor

Abbey Gillett plays Johanna Faustus

Here is a picture of Abbey

Alina Lew plays Katherine/Doctor Garrett/Isabel

Here is a picture of Alina

Kathrine Payne plays Cornelia/Jenny/Alice

Here is a picture of Kathrine

Ashley O’Brien plays Mephistopheles

Here is a picture of Ashley

Peik Siren plays Thomas/Lucifer

Here is a picture of Peik

George Solomou plays Newbury/Judge/Pierre

Here is a picture of George

SHOW SYNOPSIS / WHAT TO EXPECT Act 1 begins in London 1665, with Johanna Faustus being assisted by Cornelia and Violet in a ceremony to look into the past. They experience a vision of Essex 1645, where Johanna’s mother, Katherine is being trailed for Witchcraft and then executed. Johanna demands to push on with the ritual to find out if her mother is damned, however Violet and Cornelia refuse out of fear and fatigue.

We move to Johanna at home who is confronted by her plague doctor father, Thomas. Thomas is disappointed with Johanna and hopes to marry her to a Man in order to ensure she has someone to look after her when he is gone.

Now alone, Johanna decides to seek out the Devil to find out if he has her

mother. She comes to Newbury, a doctor known for committing horrific acts in an attempt to summon the Devil.

After spending 4 months suffering under Newbury’s tutelage Johanna Faustus comes upon the Heath during Daytime to summon the Devil, Lucifer.

Mephistopheles appears but Faustus says he will only speak with Lucifer.

Lucifer enters wearing a plague doctor uniform and Thomas’ face. Faustus makes a deal with Lucifer, signing over her soul. In exchange Faustus is allowed to look through Lucifers book to see if he has Katherine’s soul. Additionally, Faustus is promised 144 Years of life, the ability to skip forward through time, and Mephistopheles’ servitude and powers. Faustus looks through the book and discovers that Lucifer doesn’t have Katherine and she is in Heaven. Faustus enacts revenge on Newbury “gifting” him horns and hooves.

Faustus then hunts down all those involved in her mother’s trial. Thomas now unwell and showing signs of the plague, must leave Faustus behind. Faustus asks Mephistopheles to cure her father and rid the city of the plague.

Mephistopheles does her biding and sets the city on fire causing the Great Fire of London.

Interval

Act 2 begins with Faustus awakening from the fire. We are now in London 1866. In panic, Faustus asked Mephistopheles to take her away from the fire, 200 Years. Mephistopheles tells Faustus that her father, Thomas died in the fire and that she is the last of her line. Faustus decides a year experiencing the pleasures in Victorian London.

Now 1867, Faustus has an appointment with Doctor Elizabeth Garrett, the first female doctor in the UK. Inspired by Garret, Faustus decides that she needs to study and refuses to use Mephistopheles to help others in case he causes another disaster. She keeps studying, conducting experiments and learning until we are found in London 1903.

Faustus is having drinks with Marie and Pierre Curie who have just been honoured at the Royal Institute. Faustus tells Marie of her goal to cure the world of all disease and discover the key to immortality for humanity. The Horsemen linger in the shadows.

Faustus decides to travel 100 years into the future after hearing news that Marie has lost her unborn baby.

London, 2036. The Faustus Institute has been established. Faustus announces the project E-LXR working on digital immortality. After, interviewing Jenny, Faustus travels through time, fighting off The Horsemen: War, Famine and Pestilence until she manages to upload the minds of humanity digitally onto the cloud. The Horsemen tell Faustus of her fate, to become the 4th Horsemen Death. In that moment, the power cuts, with all 10 billion minds saved on the cloud lost. In grief, Faustus tells Mephistopheles to take to the far future and bids him to leave her there until her time comes.

The Far Future. Faustus is visited by Jenny who warns her of a giant bird that swallowed the light. Lucifer comes for Faustus. Or is it Thomas? He insists that Johanna is mad and suffering from delusions. A Doctor/ Mephistopheles comes to examine Johanna insisting that it is not the far future and in fact it is still 1665. Johanna is told she will not last the night. Faustus gives a last speech declaring that although Faustus is damned there is hope. Just as Faustus has one last thing to say, BLACKOUT.

Here is a guide to sensory information symbols in this document:

Indicates potentially loud or sudden noises

Indicates bright or sudden lighting changes

Indicates a sad or potentially distressing scene

Indicates fighting, or use of guns/weapons

FAUSTUS THAT DAMNED WOMAN – SENSORY STORY

There is music at the start of the show.

There are moving lights during the music.

The Actor playing Katherine is accused of Witchcraft.

They have been tortured throughout the trial. The Actor playing Johanna Faustus is put under water

The Actor playing Katherine screams and shouts during her trail.

The Actor playing Faustus uses violence to force the Actor playing Katherine underwater.

The Actor playing Thomas/ Lucifer enters wears a plague doctor outfit complete with mask. Potentially Scary for audience members.

The Actors playing Thomas and Faustus shout whilst arguing.

The Actor playing Newbury asks the Actor playing Faustus to undress threateningly. Trigger warning of Violence against women.

The Actor playing Cornelia screams. A Sound Effect scream is used at the same time.

The Actor playing Faustus lights a candle. The candle is controlled.

The Actor playing Faustus uses a knife to cut herself.

Fake Blood is used.

The Actor playing Faustus is possessed. A range of multi-coloured lights are used on stage.

Ritual scene is dark.

The Actor playing Newbury brings a prop knife on stage. The knife is blunt. The knife is also held by the Actors playing Faustus and Isabel.

The Actor playing Newbury is grabbed by the Actor playing Mephistopheles, disarmed and thrown to the floor.

The Actor playing Newbury is transformed. He cries out in pain. Crackling noise is used.

There is a blackout, and a candle is blown out.

Lighting is used to stimulate a fire that gradually builds in intensity. The lights also change between red and orange colours.

The Actor that uses Mephistopheles uses a fire mechanism to create a burst of flame. The flame is controlled.

There is a blackout. After the blackout the lights will come back up to indicate an interval.

You are welcome to leave your seats or stay seated for the interval.

INTERVAL

There is a blackout. The lights will come back up after.

Rapid Colour changing lights are used with music.

The Actors playing the Horsemen wear masks that some may find disturbing.

Rapid colour changing lights are used in conjunction with Music, Voice Audio and Sound that gradually builds.

Actors on stage clap in applause. An applause Sound is used simultaneously.

The Actor playing Faustus uses a tissue with fake blood to simulate a nose bleed.

The Actors playing The Horsemen enter with disturbing masks again.

Rapid Colour changing Lights are used.

There is a blackout in conjunction with the Sound of a Generator failure.

There are Rapid Colour Changing Lights.

There is gradual build in a drone Sound that leads to a Sudden Blackout. The Actor playing Faustus screams out.

The Lights will come back up to indicate the end of the show. The Actors will come back on for bows. The Audience may applause. You are welcome to applause if you would like.

THE END