THE HEATH BOOKSHOP LITERATURE AND MUSIC FESTIVAL –

The title of this event will be familiar to many due to the film adaptation of the same novel, ‘The Thing With Feathers’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch and released in October 2025. We are delighted to be joined by author of the novel, Max Porter, for a special in conversation (chaired by Caleb Klaces) following this ground-breaking dance adaptation from Beyond Words. This will be a really special event! 

PLEASE NOTE THE THEMES OF THIS EVENT ARE FOR AGE 14+

A radical new dance adaptation of Max Porter’s award-winning novel, Grief is The Thing With Feathers, from Beyond Words theatre company.

A ground-breaking new dance event.

Grief Is the Thing with Feathers arrives on stage in a visionary adaptation from Beyond Words
Dance Theatre, transforming Max Porter’s beloved book into a stunning, full-bodied theatrical
experience.

Hailed as “poignant and vital” (One Dance U.K.), this electrifying production invites audiences
into a world where words move, memories are embodied, and grief becomes something you can
almost touch.

Driven by a riveting five-member ensemble, Grief… follows a family pulled through the chaos
and unpredictability of sudden loss. Inside “the nest,” Crow – trickster, babysitter, and unlikely
guide – inhabits it all, propelling a loving yet fractured family into the full experience of their
grief, its disorientation, revelations, and unexpected, madcap humour.

The plan? There isn’t one. But through the hopping and havoc of Crow, each character edges
toward fragile reconnection and the difficult work of acceptance.

At the centre of the production is ‘Hypha’, Beyond Words’ pioneering text-to-dance translation
system, paired with Calcutt’s sweeping choreography and a haunting original score. The result is
a visceral, emotionally charged performance that transforms Porter’s text into a living, breathing
encounter.

More than an adaptation, Grief Is the Thing with Feathers is a fearless, breath-taking re-embodiment
of a modern classic – a raw, immersive journey that dissolves the boundaries between literature
and movement, bringing the kinetic power of words into a fully-fledged, four-dimensional
experience.

Beyond Words Company website: https://www.beyondwordsdancetheatre.com/hyphamethod

Direction and Choreography: Helen Calcutt

Producer: Callum Holt

Cast:
Dad: Dominic Coffey
Boys: Claire Victoria Lambert, Katie Albon
Mom: Holly Jones
Lead Crow: Jessica van de Koot

Musical scores: Dominic O’ Sullivan, Jobe Sullivan, Barnaby Taylor

Lighting Design: Jason Addison

Costume & Set: Emma Williams

Marketing Manager: Julia White

Created with public funding through Arts Council England, and supported by Faber & Faber
Publishing House, One Dance U.K., and The Middle Floor.

Max Porter is the author of four novels, including the Sunday Times #1 bestseller Shy, the Booker Prize longlisted Lanny,  and the multi-award winning Grief is the Thing with Feathers. His work has been translated into 36 languages. Porter’s first film, STEVE, was released on Netflix in Autumn 2025. He is also the author of The Death of Francis Bacon, praised as ‘a miniature masterpiece’, the short film All of this Unreal Time and the pamphlet It’s Going to Be a Bright New Day with Bonnie ‘Prince’ Billy. Max frequently collaborates with musicians, song-writers, artists and theatre-makers. 

Helen Calcutt is an award-winning poet and choreographer pioneering text embodiment within dance and theatre. Her acclaimed works include Somehow (Poetry Book Society Winter Pamphlet; Poetry School Book of the Year shortlist), the anthology Eighty-Four (Saboteur Award shortlist; Poetry Wales Book of the Year, 19’), and Feeling All the Kills (Pavilion Poetry, 24’) celebrated as “radical, revolutionary, and fearless.” (Zoe Bridgley, Seren). Choreographically, she creates for major UK and international institutions across theatre, film, and live performance. She is also the creator of the Hypha method, a groundbreaking new choreographic system advancing the integration of text and dance. She is Artistic Director of dance-theatre company, Beyond Words.

Beyond Words is a path breaking dance-theatre company that presents text in unprecedented ways, exploring the physical power of language through dance and theatre. Their work is narrative-driven and nuanced, delving into themes of mental unrest, resilience, and belonging. 

Central to their work is Hypha — an innovative choreographic method that translates text into gestural articulation, dynamic physicality, and ensemble interplay. For Beyond Words, the body becomes a vessel for language, expressing meaning visually, spatially, and kinaesthetically, enabling stories and emotions to transcend linguistic and physical boundaries. 

Through intimate and powerful exchanges of form, and through shared physical intention, Beyond Words create compelling new modes of physical storytelling that ‘break language,’ inviting audiences to experience story and emotion in profoundly transformative ways. 

Claire Lambert 

Claire Lambert is a UK-based contemporary dancer and choreographer. A graduate of London Contemporary Dance School and Trinity Laban, she has performed with Tavaziva Dance and contributed to the London 2012 Olympics Opening Ceremony. Claire leads projects funded by Arts Council England, notably as creator and co-founder of the Dance Co-Operative Birmingham. 

Dominic Coffey 

Dominic Coffey is a Manchester-born contemporary dancer trained at Northern School of Contemporary Dance. He has performed with Jasmin Vardimon Company and featured in the film Transfiguration: I Need. Dominic’s work explores themes of identity and transformation through dynamic movement and storytelling.  

Holly Jones 

Holly Jones is a London-based contemporary dancer and choreographer. She holds a BA in Contemporary Dance from London Contemporary Dance School and an MA from Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Holly has collaborated with companies such as Sweetshop Revolution Dance Theatre and Richard Alston Dance Company.  

Katie Albon 

Katie Albon is a Birmingham-based performer, teacher, and maker. A graduate of Trinity Laban, she has worked with companies including Springs Dance Company, Sonia Sabri, and Highly Sprung. Katie also performed as a Featured Dancer in the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony choreographed by Corey Baker.  

Jessica Van de Koot 

Jessica Van de Koot is a London-based contemporary dancer and choreographer of Greek and Dutch heritage. She holds a BA from London Contemporary Dance School and an MA from Northern School of Contemporary Dance. Jessica has worked with Holstebro Dance Company, Sweetshop Revolution Dance Theatre, and is artistic director of her own company VDK Dance Company.  

Caleb Klaces

Caleb Klaces is the author of the novel Fatherhood, which won a Northern Writers Award and was longlisted for the Republic of Consciousness Prize, and the poetry collections Away From Me and Bottled Air, which won an Eric Gregory Award and the Melita Hume Prize. He grew up in Birmingham. His latest novel Mr Outside was published in 2025.

Following the performance, author Max Porter will be in conversation with Caleb Klaces discussing Grief Is The Thing With Feathers and his other works.

This event will be BSL interpreted.

Timings for the event:

15:30-15:40 Max Porter & Helen Calcutt give a brief introduction to the work

15:40-16:55 Performance

17:15 – 18:00 Max Porter in conversation with Kaleb Klaces

18:00-18:30 Max Porter book signing

This event is part of The Heath Bookshop Literature & Music Festival and is supported by National Lottery Grants Funding through Arts Council England.

Tickets for this event will be released in January 2026.