Exploring the fascinating life and legacy of Katharine of Aragon, the powerful new immersive audio experience KATHARINE will tour selected UK cathedrals this Autumn alongside a programme of free library pop-up experiences. Created by Slaget Theatre, in association with Whispered Tales, this multidisciplinary production combines binaural audio technology, contemporary dance and immersive storytelling to transform historic spaces into intimate encounters with one of history's most misunderstood queens.
Marking the 500th anniversary of the King's Great Matter, KATHARINE re-examines the story of Henry VIII’s first wife through her own perspective. At a time when questions of identity, migration, power and belonging continue to shape our society, the production invites audiences to reconsider a familiar Tudor narrative. Through cutting-edge audio technology and site-specific staging, the stunning and historic backdrop of cathedral spaces becomes the setting for a deeply moving and thought-provoking theatrical experience.
Performer Olena Hrabchak (Global Folk Project, Movema; Expressia Festival) drifts throughout the guided journey as an ethereal figure, moving between historical embodiment and contemporary presence, weaving through the unfolding narrative. Directed by Esther Simpson of Whispered Tales, (Protect The Beats, Eurovision 2023, Refuge Island and Our Crossing) and featuring choreography by Lisa Simpson (founder of Lisa Simpson Inclusive Dance, LSID), the production is reimagined for each venue, with the live performance carefully adapted to respond to the unique architecture, history and atmosphere of every space. Audiences experience the production through immersive binaural sound design on headphones, creating a deeply moving and thought-provoking theatrical experience for theatre goers and history buffs.
We sat down with performer Olena Hrabchak and actor Andrew Lancel who voices Henry VII and Thomas Wolsey.
What has been the most challenging aspect of working with a purely audio-driven medium compared to visual or traditional stage acting?
Olena: For me the most challenging aspect has been that the form is so intimate, your entire performance language becomes about small gestures, emotions, movement, and use of space , which is quite unusual for dancer.
Olena: For me the most challenging aspect has been that the form is so intimate, your entire performance language becomes about small gestures, emotions, movement, and use of space , which is quite unusual for dancer.
Andrew: I’ve done a few now and find it hugely rewarding not so much challenging. Embracing new mediums is essential and is also a way of getting people who might not usually attend a performance to do so
"The King’s Great Matter" is a piece of history many people think they know. What is one thing about this era or these real-life people that you think will completely surprise audiences?
Andrew: Probably that the entire foundation of the Church of England came from this ‘matter’ - we’d all still be Roman Catholic!
Olena: One thing that often surprises audiences is that Katherine of Aragon was not a passive victim of Henry VIII’s “Great Matter” but a highly educated, politically formidable queen who actually ruled England as regent—and won a major battle in his absence.
How do you approach the power and emotion in your voice required for the part?
Andrew: We had a great director (Esther Simpson) and it’s about believing your there - right there and know people from all over the world will be listening.
Andrew: We had a great director (Esther Simpson) and it’s about believing your there - right there and know people from all over the world will be listening.
Voice overs sometimes are down to the importance of one word.. or even a syllable. And homework is key.
Since the production mixes history with contemporary elements like binaural audio, how do you make these 16th-century historical figures feel immediate and relatable to a modern audience
Olena: I make our 16th‑century figures feel immediate by using my body as a universal language: the same movements that show Katherine’s pride in pregnancy or her grief after child loss are rooted in feelings any modern person recognises, regardless of time.
Olena: I make our 16th‑century figures feel immediate by using my body as a universal language: the same movements that show Katherine’s pride in pregnancy or her grief after child loss are rooted in feelings any modern person recognises, regardless of time.
Andrew: People have always been people. Nicola (Werenowska’s) script taps into that, the universality that Olena mentions is right there in the script - it feels very accurate and accessible.
Every venue on this tour—from soaring cathedrals to local library pop-ups—has its own unique acoustic and architectural personality. How do you think having the work performed in such historical sites help bring the show to life each night?
Olena: Performing in such varied historic sites turns each venue into an active co‑creator of the show: the architecture and acoustics shape how my movement and the binaural sound are felt, so every night the story of Katherine lives in a slightly different “body” of space.
Andrew: I’m sure each venue will feel as intimate and grand as Katherine her self was.
How does working on a piece based on real historical figures change your responsibility as an actor compared to playing a completely fictional character?
Andrew: I love playing real people and do a lot. The key word there is responsibility. The pressure is that people have preconceived ideas and knowledge of them.
Andrew: I love playing real people and do a lot. The key word there is responsibility. The pressure is that people have preconceived ideas and knowledge of them.
Olena: Working on a piece based on real historical figures changes my responsibility as a dancer because I’m not just inventing a character; I’m embodying someone who actually lived, with a documented life, descendants, and a place in public memory. That brings an ethical duty to treat her truthfully and respectfully, even while using artistic imagination.
If you could travel back 500 years and give your role one piece of advice, what would it be?
Olena: If I could travel back 500 years and speak to Katharine I would tell her that the same stubborn, upright spine that makes her refuse the annulment is also what makes her unforgettable. Her fight for justice, her insistence on being Henry’s true queen, and her willingness to endure trouble for what she believes is right are not flaws to soften, but the core of her legacy.
Olena: If I could travel back 500 years and speak to Katharine I would tell her that the same stubborn, upright spine that makes her refuse the annulment is also what makes her unforgettable. Her fight for justice, her insistence on being Henry’s true queen, and her willingness to endure trouble for what she believes is right are not flaws to soften, but the core of her legacy.
Andrew: I’d send Henry to a monastery!
What was the first piece of theatre that had a big impact on your career?
Andrew: Barnum with Michael Crawford. I was 15 and it changed my life.
Olena: For me as a dancer, the turning point was one of the first fully choreographed, story‑driven dance performances I created in my second year of college. Making that piece gave me a clear understanding that what I truly want to do is tell stories through movement and embody characters, feelings, and narratives with my whole body.
Marking the 500th anniversary of the King’s Great Matter, what do you hope audiences take away about Katharine’s enduring legacy when they hand back their headphones at the end of the journey?
Andrew: That she was caring, wise and strong. Not just one the 6 but someone who’s legacy and story needed sharing and remembering.
Andrew: That she was caring, wise and strong. Not just one the 6 but someone who’s legacy and story needed sharing and remembering.
Olena: I hope that when audiences hand back their headphones, they no longer see Katherine as just “Henry’s first wife” but as a quietly fierce woman whose conviction helped change the course of English history.
The Katharine Project tours at Chester Cathedral from 10th to 14th November 2026 and at Peterborough Cathedral from 21st to 23rd January 2027. For more details, visit https://www.thekatharineproject.com/
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