When Your Love Sets You On Fire was a live-streaming show created for the Twin Cities Horror Festival, Season 9 Online (October 2020).

Amber Bjork and Derek Lee Miller are telling the story of Bridget Cleary, "the last witch burning in Ireland" in their studio. Which used to be a garage. But is now a studio. And they have shadow puppets. There's some music and some history. It's all very light and casual. Until it isn't. A woman was murdered by her husband while nine people watched. Amber and Derek try to grapple with this horror all alone in their studio, with a live camera. They know you're out there. But sometimes, they forget.

This is our first story made specifically for an online format. 
Love. Puppets. Fire.


WHEN YOUR LOVE SETS YOU ON FIRE
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FEATURING:
Amber Bjork
Derek Lee Miller

Created by The Winding Sheet Outfit
Direction by Amber Bjork
Puppet Design by Derek Lee Miller
Costume Design by Kristina Fjellman

THANK YOU:
Megan Campbell Lagas, Kayla Dvorak Feld, Jon Feld, Mandi Johnson, André Johnson Jr., Boo Segersin, and Tom Segersin, Nissa Nordland Morgan, Brant Miller, and the TCHF Staff and Board.

candid shots from viewers

comments FROM VIEWERS
"That made my stomach flip quite a bit."
"So good as usual...some damn good art in a weird fucking time."
"Thank you for continuing to make such powerful and artistically
finessed pieces of theater!"
"The puppets were fantastic, I loved the layered storytelling and the music."
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"Holy SHIT. That was amazing. Meta AF. Impressive use of multiple methods/media. And genuinely instructive, historically and mythologically. What a shining piece of work!"
-- Ellie Shockley

DIRECTOR'S NOTES
Derek and I welcome you into our home to watch a little puppet show about "the last witch burning in Ireland." We apologize if we say or do anything that makes you feel uncomfortable during your stay. Or not. It is a horror show, after all. We've spent the whole of October doing familiar things like collecting information and building puppets, and unfamiliar things like learning to use camera equipment and rehearsing for an audience we will never see. Sometimes we forget we will be watched. It's a very strange time.

I really wanted to warn you that this show depicts scenes of domestic abuse. This is a serious topic that has touched my life in the past and has come out of nowhere to destroy the lives of others I've known, much like Bridget Cleary, the subject of our show. It isn't always easy to detect the signs of domestic violence in your own home or in others. No matter what the circumstances, if you are receiving abuse, it is never your fault. Do not hesitate to get help from friends, family, and authorities. If you do not feel comfortable reaching out to the police, there are several local organizations who can help.
  • Battered Women's Justice Project: The national resource center on civil and criminal justice responses to intimate partner violence, headquartered in Minneapolis.
  • Domestic Abuse Project of Minneapolis:  Since 1979, Domestic Abuse Project (DAP) has served the Twin Cities community with innovative and effective programming to end the inter-generational cycle of domestic violence. They have made it their mission to build communities free from violence by providing holistic healing for every member of the family.
  • Know your rights and resources as a victim of domestic abuse, from Office of the Minnesota Attorney General 
  • Hennepin County Domestic Abuse Service
  • NCADV: The National Coalition Against Domestic Violence (NCADV)'s mission is to lead, mobilize and raise our voices to support efforts that demand a change of conditions that lead to domestic violence such as patriarchy, privilege, racism, sexism, and classism. We are dedicated to supporting survivors and holding offenders accountable and supporting advocates.

Thank you for reading, and we hope you enjoy the show. As much as you can. We've never made something like this....anything could happen....
--Amber Bjork, Founding Member, The Winding Sheet Outfit
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