A STAGE show developed in Poole about a woman stuck in a cycle of addiction is to be made into a short film for Sky Arts.

Spinning Wheel, written by and starring Hannah Kumari, has been renamed Devi and commissioned as part of the Sky Arts ‘Unlocked’ series.

Hannah spent a week at Poole’s Lighthouse last August working on the show with the technical team as part of the arts centre’s SANCTUARY artist residency support scheme.

“This week [at Lighthouse] enabled me to have the space and time to further develop and hone my ideas for the piece,” said Hannah.

“My time at Lighthouse, and in Poole, really informed the show and I then went on the receive a commission from The Wardrobe Ensemble to continue developing it.”

The story follows Hannah as a woman of mixed heritage stuck in a cycle of addiction – as she searches for help, she encounters an ancestral figure in an unlikely place.

She added: “Although my short film Devi will be very different in style, it explores similar themes and is inspired by Spinning Wheel. The work done at Lighthouse during SANCTUARY has played an important part in me being successful with this commission.”

Paula Hammond, artist development producer at Lighthouse, said: “This demonstrates how investment in space and time given at an early stage can be so important for artists to create new work.

“I’m delighted the programme that gave space to Hannah last summer has led to two commissions – firstly from The Wardrobe Ensemble/Bristol Old Vic to produce a live performance and now an additional award from Sky Arts to create a short film. Lighthouse is very proud to be associated with Hannah and we look forward to seeing the film.”

Devi is currently in production ahead of transmission in the spring.