Fishskin Trousers

What lies out there on Orford Ness?

First premiering in 2013 at Finborough Theatre, this haunting visual poem by Elizabeth Kuti weaves together the tales of three people lost to the see, often centuries apart. Spanning from the 12th century, to the 20th, and then to 2004, each person has a connection with a remote fishing village, and a nearby island; these connections span the decades and centuries, revealing troubling secrets that has a profound destiny for the next in line...

Set in East Anglia, the village of Orford, its castle and neighbouring islet Orford Ness harbours secrets that three people over the ages learned - to their detriment. Mab in the 12th century speaks of the mysterious Wild Man Of Orford, who was caught in fishermen's nets - yet inexplicably alive. During the Cold War, a visiting Australian scientist hears mysterious noises on his radar as he tries in vain to fix it. And perhaps the most troubling of all is Mog, who in 2004 has to make an impossible and heartbreaking decision between life and death.