In the wake of Nana Elsie's death, a young woman tries to piece together fragments of family legend, fact, and memory left behind. In the process of grief, she meets Elsie long before she was a nana, discovers the incredible life she led and the legacy that she leaves behind in the memory of her family.
Local creative Lily Empson brings newly devised work, Elsie, to The Meteor from October 7 to 9 as part of The Meteor's Boil-Up Creative Development Programme.
A biographical piece, Elsie is based on the life of Empson's own Nana Elsie, and is performed by granddaughters and sisters Lily and Lauren Empson. An exploration of how shared memories are a tool to hold on to those we love, Elsie combines physical theatre with contemporary dance to "honour Elsie and tell the story of the full life that she led".
"We always think of our grandparents as old and never really stop to think of them as how they were when they were young," says Empson.
"When Nana died, my family started sharing all these stories about her. We found an old suitcase and hatbox filled with black-and-white photos of her as a young woman, and at her funeral so many people came and shared memories and stories of her. For the first time, I started seeing her as more than a nana. I felt like I had just discovered her ..."
