Naming The Nameless with Shonaleigh

“It was important that the women are named; in a name there is power, and that power contains wisdom, and that wisdom should be passed down for generations.” Shonaleigh  

You have heard of Adam and Eve; you might even have heard of Lilith, though it’s less likely. But have you heard of Eve’s three daughters, Emuneh, Chesed and Tikvah? Probably not – though you will have heard of her sons, Cain, Abel and Seth. Often, the women in the old stories are reduced to damsels that need to be rescued, witches, hags, demonesses, seductresses, and wise, nameless crones.

This performance by celebrated drut’syla (storyteller) Shonaleigh will be about Eve’s three beautiful daughters, of the legacy they took into the world, of healing herbs, hope, and wonder. It will be of Serah bat Asher, granted immortality for her wisdom, and Lilith, demonised for nothing more than wanting her own voice. And finally, Cleopatra – not the Cleopatra that you think you know, but Cleopatra the alchemist, remembered now as a Demon purely because she chose her own destiny.

About Shonaleigh:

Shonaleigh is a drut’syla (storyteller) from the Yiddish oral tradition.  She has worked as a storyteller within the secular world for the past 26 years across the UK, Europe, Scandinavia, United States and New Zealand.  She was shortlisted for the Arts Foundation Award in 2009. She was UK deputy national Storytelling Laureate 2010-12.  She performs from the Barbican to Burngreave Village Hall, from the Albert Hall to Albert Park, Unstone, international festivals in the US, New Zealand and Europe, and all points in between. Her commissioned pieces include “The Tower Of Bagel,” the first commission from Festival at the Edge in 1998, and now available as a CD; “Fool of the Warsaw Ghetto;” “The Ruby Tree;” “The Golem;” “The Golden Labyrinth;” and other work. She has completed commissions for the British Library, the British Museum and Hay-on-Wye Literature Festival, and is a regular contributor to BBC arts programmes. She is currently Artistic Director at House of the West Wind.

Presented as a legacy event as part of History Makers Unfolded at Derby Museums.

Accessibility at Derby Museums

Suitable for Adults. Booking essential.