The Japan Times - Rene Eyre Revisits Autobiographical Performance 'Say A Little Prayer' in London

Dancer and performance artist Rene Eyre is returning to her autobiographical work, "Say A Little Prayer," more than thirty years after its initial creation. The updated solo performance will take place at The Waiting Room, located near Peckham Rye Station in London, on November 28, 2026.

Eyre describes the piece as a living archive that explores childhood memories and inherited trauma through movement, text, film, and sound. The performance is set around an oversized bed, a central prop where stories, gestures, and images collide to examine how past experiences influence the present.

"Back in '94 I was commissioned by Chisenhale Dance Space to make an autobiographical piece," Eyre said. "I started jotting down stories from my childhood – they were conversational, as though I was telling a mate at school what happened the night before. The stories just poured out and got quite dark."

While the original 1994 production concluded with a sense of unresolved darkness, Eyre notes that the revised version aims for a different emotional resolution. "This time, she reveals, it will not be so dark: 'I am revisiting the piece, as the first time round I left the stage with all my stories hanging like dark clouds, and this time I am planning a more redemptive ending.'"

The performance is being filmed to document what Eyre calls her "live archive project." This initiative involves revising and recording older works created before the era of ubiquitous mobile phone documentation. "I am filming the piece as it is the beginning of my live archive project," she explained, noting that contemporary life is now constantly recorded.

The event coincides with the Future Ritual performance festival, which is being held at the nearby Copeland Gallery and Safe House. However, Eyre clarified that her solo project is independent of the larger festival.

"This is a solo project Rene feels a need to tell again – Updated," she said. "It is not part of a bigger event but, coincidentally, is happening over the road from the Future Ritual performance festival at the Copeland Gallery and Safe House."

The performance invites audiences to witness Eyre's ongoing artistic evolution. The Waiting Room is located at Peckham Rye Station in London, SE15 4RX. Tickets are available through a booking link provided by the artist.

Y.Ishikawa--JT