Beowulf Retold – Epic Storytelling with Bernadette Russell
11 April 2025
19:00 to 21:00
Gather around the fire and listen to the epic tale of Beowulf, pagan warrior and king, and of his adversaries and allies, in this bloody, complex, raucous tale of monsters and heroes, and the likenesses and differences between them
This new storytelling show from Bernadette Russell is inspired by the epic Old English poem Beowulf, one of the oldest surviving pieces of English literature. Beowulf was composed in Anglo-Saxon England 500 CE – 1000 CE and is the epic saga of a pagan hero who defends a mighty hall, defeats monsters, becomes King and who is ultimately undone by monsters too…
In this spellbinding adaptation, Bernadette turns the tables and considers the story from the perspective of those very same “monsters”: from Grendel and his mother (so terrible she isn’t even given a name, lest saying her name summons her!), and from the glowing eyes of a fearsome, fire-breathing dragon too.
“They call us monsters- when it is they that murder our children and wear our skin as cloaks… they call us ugly.. but is it not grief that cracks our hearts and faces?… they have taught us this: that vengeance is stronger than forgiveness.. that rage is mightier than sorrow.. and it is them who are at fault, the humans, who hunt us to near extinction… who fill the land with blood and bones… and who have left no room for the wild” Bernadette Russell is a performance storyteller and the author of six non-fiction books.
She is the creative writing tutor at Treadwell’s Books in London, and has previously told stories at many venues including Royal Albert Hall, Southbank Centre and National Theatre, as well as in the woods, parks and wild places of London, Brighton and her native Hampshire. There will be a bar selling locally produced cider, mead and a range of alcoholic and non-alcoholic drinks. Hot drinks and snacks will also be available to be purchased from our shop. “Bernadette’s stories are magical, moving and hilarious all at once. She weaves a spell with words!” audience member at ‘A Pause at Winter’s Gate’.
