The life of a Yorkshire village is shattered when elemental spirits replace the parish priest with his double. Alternative realities collide as this changeling interprets the gospel of love in his own alarming fashion. What goes on at the Women's Institute? OBRA's eight strong international ensemble interweave the visceral language of Hughes' seminal work with intimate physicality and dynamic choreography, accompanied by a cinematic soundscape and live junkyard percussion. This tour marks a unique opportunity to see both Act I and Act II of one of Hughes’ lesser known texts, and will include performances as part of the 2017 World Poetry Day celebrations on 21st March. "The process to make this stage version of Gaudete began with a group of artists, all of whom had a desire to explore it physically, to taste the words and share this largely ignored work of Ted Hughes with a larger public. Quite simply, no other text has touched me like Gaudete; it is complex and beautiful and, although it shows us the terrifying cruelty that man is capable of, it offers us a form of redemption through a recognition of nature's place in our world, and an acceptance of life in all its complexity "​ - Kate Hannah Papi, Artistic Director. OBRA is an international theatre company based at the Au Brana centre in southern France; a farm they converted into an artistic residential space. OBRA make theatre rooted in the relationship between language and the physical life of the performer via a laboratory practice, adapting texts not originally destined for the stage to create innovative theatre for modern audiences. Tour Dates: March 2017 14 - 15 Lawrence Batley Theatre, Huddersfield (post show discussion the 14th.) 17 - 18 Arts Centre, Edge Hill University | Part of the Unity Theatre season 20 - 21 The Lowry, Salford (for International poetry day) 24 Civic Theatre, Barnsley