Since 2019, UH Arts + Culture have had the pleasure of working with theatre company, Pursued by a Bear. During this time, we have helped provide support for the research and development stages of their production Nothing on Earth, which toured across Hertfordshire in March 2023.
University of Hertfordshire students also had the chance to work directly with Pursued by a Bear’s creative team as part of a bespoke workshop delivered on campus. This was an excellent opportunity for the undergraduates to gain hands-on work experience with a nationally recognised, professional, producing and touring theatre company.
We are delighted to have commissioned Pursued by a Bear to record extracts of their play Nothing on Earth in a short film. To coincide with this, Pursued by a Bear have also created a ‘curtain-raiser’ formed of memories contributed by elders living in the Dacorum area of Hertfordshire.
We hope you enjoy the two films below.
Women of Courage
A little taste of Pursued by a Bear’s 2023 production of Nothing on Earth by Anna Reynolds. At the end of their world-premiere tour the original cast filmed some short extracts so that online audiences could also enjoy the theatre experience which had delighted audiences throughout Hertfordshire, London and Southwest England. Watch and meet some of the extraordinary historical Herts heroines at the heart of the play, along with central characters Jade and her Granda.
Nothing on Earth was performed by Sarah Agha, Lebogang Fisher, Joanna Foster, Lincoln James, and Rhiannon Meades; it was directed by Rosamunde Hutt and featured music by Helen Chadwick and design by Sophia Lovell Smith Hutt, lighting by Holly Ellis, sound by Anna Short and movement by Emily Gray. The filmmaker is Grant Watson.
Our Women of Courage
Alongside the tour of Nothing on Earth in March 2023, Pursued by a Bear collected and recorded memories contributed by elders living in the Dacorum area of Hertfordshire. This film captures those reminiscences and weaves them into a celebration of place, personal heroines, and remarkable life-stories.
Performed by the cast of Nothing on Earth (Sarah Agha, Lebogang Fisher, Joanna Foster, Lincoln James and Rhiannon Meades), directed by Rosamunde Hutt, who also edited the text with Anna Reynolds, writer of Nothing on Earth. The filmmaker is Grant Watson. Recorded at Old Town Hall, Hemel Hempstead, made in partnership with Dacorum Borough Council and produced with generous support from UH Arts + Culture.
About Pursued by a Bear
Pursued by a Bear is an award-winning theatre and digital film producer in residence at Trestle Arts Base in St Albans. Founded in 1998, they have commissioned and produced over 15 new theatre commissions for UK tour and numerous short films made in educational/participatory settings.
You can find out more by visiting their website: