What’s On

Music · Poetry · Storytelling

with Louise Coigley MRCSLT

Honouring Frida Kahlo

What happens when two women, separated by time and circumstance, find a way to transform pain into creativity?

In Back to Back, storyteller and spinal injury survivor Louise Coigley weaves her own extraordinary journey with the life, loves and art of Frida Kahlo.

As an adolescent, Louise emerges from the cocoon of a spinning hospital bed following spinal surgery that nearly paralysed her. Born with clubfeet and living with severe scoliosis from childhood, she spent years being moulded, winched and manipulated into shape. Then, as a young adult and in extreme pain, she encountered Frida Kahlo’s paintings.

Here was someone who understood.

Through Frida’s life and work, Louise discovered recognition and a new way to navigate suffering: through creativity.

With humour, tenderness and humanity, the stories of these two women interweave in a powerful and poetic exploration of pain, resilience, identity and healing.

Louise is joined by Olivier-nominated actress Melody Grove and Aly Macrae, actor and musician of stage and screen. Together, they create a richly textured performance of storytelling, singing and music. Melody also performs Louise’s powerful new prose poem, From the Frocks.

“I feel I travelled with you along the river of your life, moving fluidly from tears to warm smiles as the performance unfolded.”
Rhian Collings, Creative Producer & Documentary Maker

Louise Coigley

Louise worked as a speech and language therapist for forty years and founded Lis’n Tell, a live inclusive storytelling organisation which has taken her across the UK and to four continents. She has trained parents and professionals and worked with children, teenagers and adults with physical and intellectual disabilities.

A spinal injury survivor herself, Louise brings her own fractured journey into her storytelling, creating a powerful and poetic narrative of perseverance, creativity and healing.

Her work has been described as:

“Downright compelling and funny, giving courage - inspires creativity.”
Ashley Ramsden, Founding Director, The School of Storytelling

“Empathic & entertaining - using stories as seamless healers.”
David D. Campbell, Storyteller, Poet, Writer and Broadcaster

Frida Kahlo: Creativity & Endurance

In July 2026, September Publishing released Wings to Fly on Creativity and Endurance in the Words and Pictures of Frida Kahlo, curated, introduced and edited by Louise.

The book grew from Louise’s fascination with Frida Kahlo and her own experience of finding creative possibility in the midst of physical suffering.

In September 2025, Louise was also featured in the documentary Living with Scoliosis, alongside other scoliosis survivors. The film is available on YouTube.

A performance of courage, creativity and connection

Back to Back invites us to look differently at pain - not by denying it, but by discovering what can emerge from it.

It is a story of two women, two bodies and two journeys: one separated from us by nearly a century, the other unfolding in our own time. Through words, music, poetry and storytelling, Louise creates an intimate and inclusive space in which laughter, tears and hope can sit side by side.

Suitable for ages 16+.
This performance contains some intense themes.

Find out more:
www.lisntell.co.uk 

Book Tickets: £20

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/rudolf-steiner-house/t-yzzkmak

A talk and book launch

with Danielle van Dijk

Danielle van Dijk, together with Henk van Oort (her translator), will share insights from her richly illustrated book exploring the hidden legacy of Mary Magdalene across sacred sites in Palestine, France, England, Italy, and Spain. Drawing on Celtic Christianity, the Nag Hammadi discoveries, and the work of Rudolf Steiner, Danielle retraces the footsteps of Mary Magdalene, uncovering veiled layers of Gnosis embedded in Gothic cathedrals, Templar legends, Cathar strongholds, the Black Madonna, and pilgrimage routes to Santiago de Compostela.

Through readings, discussion, and contemplative exercises, attendees will explore the spiritual presence of Mary Magdalene as a teacher, initiator, and equal among the great figures of sacred history. The event will offer a unique opportunity to engage with subtle symbols of the Magdalene encoded in art and architecture, and to experience meditative reflections on love, equality, and the archetypal feminine. Copies of Danielle’s book will be available for sale in the Steiner House bookshop.

Danielle van Dijk, MA, has spent decades studying esoteric Christianity and the feminine aspect of the divine, bringing scholarly depth and spiritual insight to her writings. Henk van Oort, author and translator of The Inner Rainbow, will also contribute, offering complementary perspectives and discussion.

Entry fee: £20 Full/ £15 Concession

Book via: https://www.ticketsource.com/rudolf-steiner-house/t-jxxpzvo

Celebrate the Centenary of Rudolf Steiner House

Step inside London’s only example of expressionist architecture at Rudolf Steiner House. Explore this architectural gem, uncover its fascinating history, and join in our special centenary celebrations. This year also marks the 35th edition of the Open House Festival.

Free admission | Learn more: www.rsh.anth.org.uk

A Book Launch Talk with author Wendy Teall (pen name Phoebe Tallis) and researcher Inessa Burdich

What begins with a battered suitcase of family photographs unfolds into an extraordinary investigation across the threshold of death.

In this launch talk, author Phoebe Tallis and supersensible researcher Inessa Burdich share the creative journey behind Saving Ernest. Tracing one family’s story from the late 19th century to the present day, their research moves beyond archives and memory into direct contemplative enquiry into the experiences of those who have died, both before and after their passing.

Told with warmth, humour and narrative drive, Saving Ernest blends historical reconstruction with spiritual investigation, uncovering patterns of inheritance, suffering and healing that flow through generations. At its heart lies a compelling question: can the wounds of the past be understood and transformed through conscious attention and love?

This talk offers a rare insight into a unique collaboration, and into a form of anthroposophy expressed through story.

Wendy Teall is a writer, artist and researcher whose Welsh storytelling heritage shapes her exploration of love, loss, and the unseen life of the soul.

Inessa Burdich is a spiritual researcher, consultant and educator whose work unites scientific training with supersensible enquiry and the wisdom of Anthroposphy.

For enquiries, please contact Wendy Teall on 07815 739193.

Cost: £10 cash on the door.

How can our human culture survive and even thrive in the world pervaded by Al?

Only if we are awake and engaged! Let us nurture the vision of our still unachieved potential supported by education, storytelling, and the unshakable confidence that the challenges we face invite us to evolve new capacities and strengths.

With contributions from Jeremy Naydler, Michaela de Winter, Tom Smith, and Danyah Miller, and open discussions and creative storytelling, the day will explore what we can do at home, in the classroom, in society, and even globally to engage courageously and creatively in the face of what appear to be such looming threats to our humanity.

10.00-10.15am - Introduction - Andrew Wolpert

10.15-11.20am - The Spiritual and Cosmic Context - Jeremy Naydler

11.20-11.30am - BREAK

11.30-12.30pm - Recognising the voice of the Double - Michaela de Winter

12.30-1.45pm - LUNCH

1.45-2.45pm - Artificial Intelligence & the Poly-Crisis - Tom Smith 2.45-3.45pm - The Role of Creative Storytelling - Danyah Miller 3.45-4.15pm - TEA BREAK

4.15-5.00pm - Waldorf Education's Role in the Modern World - Tom Smith

5.00-5.45pm - Plenum discussion on the ideas and topics covered

5.45-6.00pm - Closing Reflections - Andrew Wolpert

Conference fee including afternoon refreshments

£45 (concessions £25)

Jeremy Naydler is a philosopher, gardener and author of several books including In the Shadow of the Machine (2018), The Struggle for a Human Future (2020) and Gardening as a Sacred Art (2021)

Michaela de Winter is a Waldorf Teacher, a trustee of Waldorf UK, a member of The Education Section, and a beekeeper. She studied Philosophy, works at Nutley Hall, and has a particular interest in researching Rudolf Steiner’s concept of the spiritual force that works towards materialisation from a Manichean perspective.

Dr Tom Smith is the founding director of Beehub, a Waldorf-inspired home-education hub in Brighton. He was previously the Science, Music and Technology teacher at the Brighton Waldorf School. Tom is a firm supporter of the Screen-Free Childhood movement and thinks that Waldorf education has an important role in our modern technological society. beehub.uk

Danyah Miller Danyah is an international, multi award-winning storyteller, trainer and author of Seven Secrets of Spontaneous Storytelling, Artistic Director of DMS Productions and a trustee of the Society for Storytelling. Danyah encourages people to be more curious, creative and connected. Her work is imagination-rich and often life-changing. www.danyahmillerstoryteller.co.uk

Coralee Frederickson Coralee has been a Eurythmy performer and trainer in the US, England, Norway and China for decades. She co-carried a research MA in Eurythmy for Alanus University and is presently Coordinator of The Performing Arts Section in Great Britain.

Andrew Wolpert shares his love for Art History, Literature, and general anthroposophical studies giving courses and lectures around the world. He co-carries The Humanities Section in Great Britain. These events are sponsored by the Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain and supported by The Sections of the School of Spiritual Science.

The cover image is from a photograph by Robert Greshoff of David Newbatt’s painting of the dragon being tamed and so transformed. In the legend of St George the Princess is liberated by the hero slaying the dragon. In the esoteric context of the Archangel Michael, we are challenged to engage courageously with the opposing forces and transform what may at first appear to thwart our humanity.

For further information, please contact Andrew Wolpert,   andrewjwolpert@gmail.com

This event is an intersectional initiative hosted by the Humanities and Educational Sections of the School of Spiritual Science, and is supported by the Anthroposophical Society in Great Britain.

BOOK HERE: https://www.ticketsource.com/rudolf-steiner-house/t-xdaqdxg

We are all called to be artists!

If Sculpture is waiting to be released into the movement art of Eurythmy, what is Architecture longing to become? In characterising the Mission of the Arts, Rudolf Steiner described the transformation of the plastic-spatial arts, but left the "social art" enigmatically unidentified. This is directly connected to the courage we are enjoined to have in taking responsibility for the uncertain future. How can we transform the ‘architecture’ of the social, economic, pedagogical, professional, and other structures that manifestly no longer serve our becoming human?

Come and join us in this Festival to explore what Michael, the Spirit of our Time, is waiting for from us!

Coralee Frederickson and Andrew Wolpert

There is no charge for this Festival event

From the King James version - A Staged Recitation  

A performance by The Speech Ensemble
Sarah Kane, Duncan MacIntosh, Dan Skinner and Andrew Thompson (music)

With the word 'Apocalypse' on many people's lips today to describe the state of the world we live in, The Speech Ensemble is offering a 80-minute performance at the Marylebone Theatre of the original King James translation of The Apocalypse, both spoken and sung to original music. Immerse yourself in the searing imagery - the four riders of the Apocalypse, the battle between Michael and the Dragon - and allow the downfall of evil and the birth out of heaven of the New Jerusalem to come alive.

Tickets £20/£15 Concessions Available in advance here: https://www.ticketsource.com/rudolf-steiner-house/t-xdagnpn

With thanks to The Anthroposophical Society in GB
The Godparents Association, The Rudolf Steiner Association, Hermes Trust

Meeting Pain through Art, Celebrating Creativity

Storytelling, Poetry, Painting and Mindfulness

with Louise Coigley, Ilona Pimbert, Tamzin Muir and guests

A day of artistic workshops, sharing and conversation

‘To be an artist is to believe in life.’ Frida Kahlo

Fee: £40.00 - some bursaries available

https://www.ticketsource.co.uk/rudolf-steiner-house/back-to-back/e-ajyrgp

Contact Louise at: lisntell@gmail.com

Banner image: Tree of Hope, Remain Strong (Árbol de la Esperanza, Mantente Firme) by Frida Kahlo 1946 

Tree of Hope, Stay Strong by Frida Kahlo 1946 

Image courtesy of Stephen Chappell and Daniel Filipacchi Collection, Paris, France