The Lunar Men is a collaborative and interactive performance piece centred around the extraordinary characters of the Lunar Society, a group of dynamic inventors, experimenters, and philosophers of the Eighteenth Century. Their story is interwoven with exquisite and comic folk tales, combining Maria’s rich and eloquent storytelling and Sarah’s responsive musicianship and singing. Joseph Wright’s paintings are brought vividly to life in the audience’s imagination. Alongside Maria’s skilful evocation of other worlds, Sarah brings the voice of the viola to enhance the linguistic landscape. Percussive sounds and tones create a soundscape, improvised to suit every moment. This is a celebration of friendship, collaboration, art, science, and wonder.
The entire performance is now available on audio CD, just email us at sarah@folkspace.idps.co.uk:
‘Sarah and Maria are excellent performers in their own right and their combined styles complement each other beautifully. Their infectious enthusiasm for the subject is obvious as is their enjoyment of working together.’ Ali Betteridge, Literature Development Officer, Derbyshire County Council
‘I’ve watched and listened to storytelling all my life, and it doesn’t get any better than this!’ – Keith Kendrick, Folk Musician
‘I enjoyed the interaction between the music and the story, the musician and the storyteller and the tapestry of stories.’ – Student from University of Luxembourg
We are so proud to announce that The Lunar Men show achieved the award for 2013 for Outstanding Collaboration from the British Awards for Storytelling Excellence http://www.storyawards.org.uk/news
“Maria Whatton’s storytelling was captivating: rhythmic, musical and original, punctuated by Sarah’s beautiful singing voice and haunting viola. The music added incidental atmosphere to the theatrical, almost cinematic piece.”
Selected scenes from our live performances so far:
The Lunar Men 