Silence

In 1911 a box marked ?Old Papers, No Value’, was discovered. Inside lay hidden a manuscript, unfolding the Roman de Silence, an Old French story dated to the first half of the 13th century. Years later, contemporary story-teller Rachel Rose Reid found the same story, hidden away on a bookshelf. Rediscovered, she knew the story was calling to give it a new life. The narrative begins with the outline of political marriages, and chivalric romance, but we find ourselves thrown into the consequences of the King’s sudden and thoughtless prohibition on women inheriting land. We follow the life of a heroine, Silence, who is raised as a boy to protect her future. Brimming with gender politics, ‘Silence’ shines a light on events erupting in 2018 headlines, His/her pronouns flip constantly as they struggle to be themselves in a society obsessed with public image and gendered roles.