Aurora's a star in coming of age odyssey
A Hundred Words for Snow is a touching one-woman show which is all about grief, growing up and coming of age. Skilfully written by Tatty Hennessy, it concerns Aurora, known as Rory, and sensitively played by Gemma Barnett (pictured above). Her beloved Dad had been killed in a car accident. He was a geography teacher who loved explorers but never fulfilled his lifetime ambition to go to the North Pole. Rory decides that she’s going to take his ashes to the arctic and secretly takes her Mum’s credit card, packs some warm clothes and an old compass and jumps on a plane to Norway. Here she meets some really ‘cool’ young Norwegians, goes to a party, has too much to drink and ends up losing her virginity. Later she hitches a lift and enjoys the company of a wise elderly lady named Freda. It is remarkable that Gemma was able to completely hold the audience’s attention for an hour and do justice to an excellent script laced with some really humorous lines. She is very convincing in a performance that shows her gradually mature from a sulky teenager as she reflects and begins to realise the worry she will have caused her Mother at a time of grief. Her faultless performance is certainly played convincingly enough to bring tears to the eyes of the audience as it reaches its climax. There is no set, very few props and some excellent sound effects of bitingly cold winds and helicopter blades The production is part of Solo Fest a 4 day festival of single performers. Audiences are able to see 2 shows each evening along with free pop up performances by local artists as well as post show gossip events. If the other shows are as good as 100 words, its audiences will be in for a highly enjoyable evening’s entertainment.
