Scary Little Girls is an English production hub based in London and Cornwall and a charity registered in England and Wales under charity number 1136270.. Most of their work revolves around literary and matrifocal themes, as well as a number of comedy and cabaret works with predominantly female casts. Rather than working primarily a set genre or using a regular group of practitioners, the company looks to seek out artists of all ages, backgrounds and interests from multiple artistic fields. A key tenet of SLG projects is that must headline, promote or employ more women than men. SLG's three main objectives are: 1. To tell stories and promote characters which are little known, historically or culturally excluded, or usually told from one perspective only. 2. To actively promote the artistic work of women in all aspects of theatrical storytelling. 3. To share and disseminate the skills of artists for the benefit of both the artistic and the wider community.
History
Scary Little Girls was founded in 2002 by actress and activist Rebecca Mordan and became an official charity in 2005 when Sharon Andrew joined as co-artistic director.. Sharon left SLG in January 2017 to become a mediation teacher and founded the Cornish Meditation Centre, though she remains a Creative Consultant for SLG. Between 2002 and 2005, Scary Little Girls did various school workshops, a production of Dracula with a female Dracula and a production of Maria Stuart. During this time, Scary Little Girls also produced Mother Mae I! Part of the resurgence of cabaret in London in the early 21st century, this piece features acts such as puppetry, musical comedy, stand up, grotesques and magic. The event is either hosted by Riot Showgrrls, Bunny Morethan or the de Plumes, and in keeping with SLG's ethos, most of the performers are women. The show later had residences at The Oak Bar in Newington Green and at the Camden Head in Angel.
Productions Since 2005
General
Scary Little Girls has mainly been active in England. Previous shows include: The Ladies' Cage, which focuses on Anna Parnell and the women of the Ladies Land League. It is set in the 1890s in the English and Irish land wars of the era. The production uses research material by Professor Margaret Ward, and her previously unpublished research on Anna Parnell. In 2007, the company was funded by the Duke of Cornwall Benevolent Fund to produce a series of "Positive Behavior" sessions at Ludgvan Community Primary School Suffragettes: 100 Years was a joint project with Naomi Paxton. There were readings of plays by members of the Actresses' Franchise League, followed by talks by academics and actors. The event launched a book of plays, many of which had previously been unpublished.
Literary Cabaret
Many of Scary Little Girls' shows have literary themes, including their Literary Cabarets and Living Literature Walks. Their Literary Cabarets include: The Best of Times: a Charles Dickens Literary Cabaret — a 3-woman cabaret based on the life of Charles Dickens that focuses on his personal life. Wilde Nights is a show inspired by Oscar Wilde that was commissioned by Brighton Fringe.The Full Brontë is an homage to the Brontë sisters.
In 2008, Scary Little Girls brought The Riot Showgrrls Club to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival. The show was a pro-sex, anti-porn cabaret performed at The Gilded Balloon. It was written and performed by Rebecca Mordan and Kate Kerrow. In 2009, they then took the show to the Glastonbury Festival. In 2013, the company went to the Fringe for The Full Bronte, a literary cabaret based on the lives of the Brontë sisters. The show was originally developed with The Theatre Chipping Norton before enjoying a sell-out run in Edinburgh and national tours. In 2015, the company performed Salon du Chocolat at the Voodoo Rooms from 8–18 August. The salon included excerpts from banned books such as Lady Chatterley's Lover and The Well of Loneliness by Radclyffe Hall. It also included music by The Dresden Dolls and Annie Lennox.
Dracula: The Kisses is Scary Little Girls' largest performance to date. The all-female cast and new text explore gender and queer themes in a gothic steampunk setting. The play was written by Rebecca Mordan and directed by Helen Tennison. The show's first run was 22–26 September 2014 at the Minack Theatre in Cornwall. The show then went up to Birmingham to perform at the mac Birmingham and performed there 30–31 October 2014.
In 2013, Scary Little Girls won an award from the National Institute of Adult Continuing Education for Wild Woman's Hour. Wild Woman's Hour is a monthly radio programme created and presented by women. It was jointly created by Scary Little Girls and Radio St. Austell Bay to give women a platform to discuss their experiences and help them develop new skills. The project was funded by Feast, a programme of the Cornwall Arts Centre Trust, an Arts Council National portfolio organization.
Film
Following a successful Kickstarter campaign, Scary Little Girls' filmed "Culling," a short film set in a dystopian future where a lifesaving cure is scarce and a doctor finds herself in a moral compromise. The screenplay was written and co-produced by Kate Kerrow. The film is set to release in late 2014.
