Review - The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff - Northern Stage

The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff     

Northern Stage 

Sept 2021

The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff at the Northern Stage

Old tunes, new words: workers history then and now

Coming back to the theatre after two years absence does focus the mind on: what is theatre for? What have I been missing? You might think theatricality, big casts, lavish sets and costumes, a sense of occasion, being taken out of the ordinary. I did dress up and had a sense of a ‘proper night out’, but a few moments into this performance, I realised it was something else entirely – live human interaction.

The Ballad of Johnny Longstaff is not big on that sort of theatricality: three musicians on stage, a minimal set, just songs interwoven with narrative and the recorded voice of Johnny Langstaff himself. But it was riveting precisely because that enabled an undistracted focus on the words and music and story. 

And what a story! I thought, erroneously, that Johnny was a composite character created to showcase all the high points of working class activism in the 1930s: the hunger marches, strikes, mass trespass, the Battle of Cable Street and the International Brigades in the Spanish Civil War. No, Johnny was there for all of them, and it is his actual voice, recorded in 1984-6, that we hear.

The set is minimal but canny, in the shape of flags or banners onto which are projected images, like the voice, from the archive of the Imperial War Museum. I watched it at the Northern Stage, a proper institutional theatre, but it could have been a pub theatre or community centre (if such still exist). Specifically, it reminded me of a watching a production of ‘Waiting for Lefty’ at the Unity Theatre, 50 years ago.

Bear with me, this is not just the rambling reminiscence of a doddery old-timer. There is a thread that runs through the show of ‘old tunes, new words’: ‘Carrying the Coffin’, the Hunger March song is set to the tune of ‘John Brown’s Body’, an American Civil War hymn; ‘the Great Tomorrow’ of the Spanish Civil War is to the tune of the Internationale. Working class history needs to be retold and popular tunes and popular theatre are a way of keeping alive the memory. Unity Theatre was set up in the 1930’s precisely to bring their own stories to working class audiences.

At a time when history is once again highly disputed, it’s good to remember we’ve been here before. As I left the house for the theatre, the news carried the story of Home Secretary Priti Patel threatening to turn back refugee boats in the Channel, arguably in breach of international law. In the show, Johnny meets Basque refugees fleeing the Spanish Civil War and it is their plight which prompts him to enlist in the International Brigades to fight in Spain.

The National government’s strict neutrality in the face of the rise of fascism in Europe and their criminalisation of the volunteers like Johnny reminded me of the treatment of those who went to fight against ISIS in Syria and Iraq. Or our government’s hobnobbing with fascist leaders in Europe and beyond. Plus ça change.

Johnny Longstaff was born in Stockton-on-Tees in 1919, and in 1934 when an injury left him unemployed in the midst of the Great Depression, he joined the Hunger March to London. Once there, initially sleeping rough, he found work in Tooting and joined the Labour League of Youth. Much like today, the tops of the Labour Party were indistinguishable from the Tories; but the youth wing was full of Communists and Trotskyists and were heavily involved in fighting fascism. 

At Cable Street, Oswald Moseley’s Blackshirts, the British Union of Fascists, threatened to march through the working-class Jewish area of London’s East End. Trade unionists, Labour Youth and Communists massed to defend these streets, with the slogan borrowed from the Spanish anti-fascists: No Pasaran – they shall not pass. Moseley’s fascists were stopped in a bloody street skirmish that became known as the Battle of Cable Street.

Through the Labour League of Youth, Johnny met refugees from Franco’s fascists and enlisted, lying about his age, in the British Battalion of the International Brigades to fight in the Spanish Civil War. Many of the songs from the show are based on his memories of those bloody battles and commemorate his fallen comrades, including Lewis Clive, an Olympian swimmer and David Guest, a world-class mathematician who said, “It has required an incredible effort to concentrate on pure mathematics when the world seems on fire.”

With the world again on fire, we need to remember our anti-fascist heroes. The Young ‘Uns, a Teeside-based trio, have brought us a magnificent tribute to Johnny Longstaff, his comrades and that generation of brave anti-fascists. No Pasaran.

Gerry Byrne

Wasteland - Review - Northern Stage

Wasteland

Northern Stage 

25th Sept 2019

Wasteland is Gary Clarke's interpretation in music and dance of the rise of the rave music scene in the 90s. In aftermath of pit closures we are given a glimpse into the lives of a father - the last miner - and his son as they each try to cope with the empty prospects left to them by the destruction of the mining industry. 

The Last Miner sinks into alcoholic despair while his son finds an escape in the euphoria of the illegal rave scene - losing himself in music, dance and drugs. The father and son don't always see eye to eye, they fight often, but all they have is each other. there is conflict, but there is also affection - and this is movingly illustrated in the final scene.

This is more than dance piece, it is a piece of social history. The contrast between the miners with

their male voice choirs and brass bands, clutching their UB40s and the manic energy of the youth with their manic, bass beat music is stark and telling. Yet the hypnotic, trance-like dancing is just a different form of escape from reality to that of the miners.

The historical context of the story is explained with projected newsreel scenes showing the closure and destruction of a pit, the men leaving and the iconic pithead building being destroyed, and later footage of the break-up of an illegal rave by the police, and the supercilious voice of a newsreader describing the scenes. I was stuck by the similarity between these scenes of police intervention and the those from the picket lines during the miner's strike.

The dancing is energetic, manic - as it should be - and at times painful - Alistair Goldsmith as the

Last Miner contorts his body into shapes that echo the agonising heartbreak of the losses that pit closures brought - not personal but national. A way of life, was destroyed, but also the livelihoods of the following generations.  The beat of the music is relentless, a form of escape, but perhaps one with no real exit.

I found the show incredibly moving. Though I lived through the rave scene era I was not part of it - too conservative (with a small "c" and timid) but I do remember it - and I remember the miner's strike and the sense of desolation that followed. The rave culture was a reaction against that desolation and depression. I don't think we have found a way out of either state yet.

Emotional and emotive stuff. Find out more here www.wastelandtour.co.uk

*Photographs by Joe Armitage

Denise Sparrowhawk

Preview - A Thousand Splendid Suns - Northern Stage

A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS
By Ursula Rani Sarma
Based on the book by Khaled Hosseini


Khaled Hosseini’s book has been adapted by Ursula Rani Sarma and is directed by Artistic Director, Roxana Silbert, her last as Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre.

A Thousand Splendid Suns, Khaled Hosseini’s spiritual sequel to The Kite Runner had its European première at Birmingham Repertory Theatre and is on its way to Northern Stage at the end of this month. The cast features Waleed Akhtar (Salmon Fishing in the Yemen/ Lasse Hallström; What Shadows / Birmingham Repertory Theatre and The Kite Runner/Nottingham Playhouse & Liverpool Pal Aron (Behind the Beautiful Forevers/National Theatre; Stella/ Sky One); Sujaya Dasgupta (Death of a Salesman/Royal & Derngate, Press/BBC);  Munir Khairdin (Whitechapel/ITV); Naveed Khan (Tamburlaine and Tartuffe /RSC); Mollie Lambert (The White Devil/Shakespeare’s Globe); Shala Nyx (Miss Prue/Bristol Old Vic; The Shadow Factory/Nuffield Southampton Theatres) and Lisa Zahra (The Kite Runner/Wyndham’s) and

Amina Zia (Tartuffe/RSC). 

Khaled Hosseini’s international best-selling novel is the powerful story of three generations of

women discovering strength in unity and finding hope in the unlikeliest of places. Set in 1992 in an Afghanistan ravaged by war, an orphaned Laila is left alone in an increasingly threatening world.  Her older neighbour Rasheed is quick to open his home and takes Laila as his second wife.
Everyman); Rasheed’s first wife Mariam has no choice but to accept her younger, and now pregnant, rival. As the Taliban take over, life for all of them becomes a desperate struggle against starvation, brutality and fear, and the two women find themselves unlikely allies.  In A Thousand Splendid Suns, love grows and sustains the human spirit even during the hardest of times.

Roxana Silbert directs A Thousand Splendid Suns, her final show as Artistic Director of Birmingham Repertory Theatre. She said:
“In Khaled Hosseini’s A Thousand Splendid Suns we are given a rare glimpse into 30 years of contemporary Afghan history and thanks to Ursula Rani Sarma’s emotionally stirring adaptation audiences will be able to bear witness to the extraordinary story of two radiant women who struggle to survive the terrifying political situation they find themselves in. I can’t wait to bring this inspiring and enlightening story to the stage.”

Playwright Ursula Rani Sarma said: “This play is about the immense strength and endurance of women and how they can survive tremendous suffering to keep those they love alive. It is also about how even in the darkest of times and places, love can grow and sustain the human spirit beyond all pain and hard-ship. It’s about friendship and loyalty, courage and selflessness, grief and violence. What the play has to say about love, endurance, and survival is very much worth listening to for a contemporary audience. There is beauty and strength at the heart of A Thousand Splendid Suns, and I feel so proud to be part of its evolution from novel to stage.”

Ursula Rani Sarma is a scriptwriter for stage and screen. Her previous credits include Delicious (Sky), the award-winning film Anywhere But Here, Yerma (West Yorkshire Playhouse) and The Dark Things (Traverse Theatre).

Khaled Hosseini is one of the most widely read and beloved novelists in the world, with over 38 million copies of his books sold in more than seventy countries. The Kite Runner was a major film and was a Book of the Decade, chosen by The Times, Daily Telegraph and Guardian. A Thousand Splendid Suns was the Richard & Judy Best Read of the Year in 2008. Hosseini is currently a Goodwill Envoy to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, the UN Refugee Agency and the founder of The Khaled Hosseini Foundation, a not-for-profit organisation which provides humanitarian assistance to the people of Afghanistan. He was born in Kabul, Afghanistan, and lives in northern California.

A Thousand Splendid Suns has set and costume designs by Ana Inés Jabares-Pita, lighting design by Simon Bond, composition by Mahmood Kamen, sound design and co-composition by Dave Price with Ben Hart as magic consultant.


Tickets and Information: 0191 230 5151
Book online: northernstage.co.uk

Images: Pamela Raith

Voltemand and Cornelius are Joyfully Returned - People's Theatre - Review

Voltemand and Cornelius are Joyfully Returned

Picture courtesy of People's Theatre

People's Theatre
8th May 2019

I didn't know much about this play when I came but it's surprisingly good.

I have always said I hate Shakespeare and I do; his plays are boring, not that good and something that I wouldn't make my worst enemy to go to see!

But Paul Vates is doing some good stuff, this Leeds born writer who beat nearly 100 entries in the People's Play competition.

So who are the 2 main characters??

Voltemand, played by Stephen Sharkey though small in stature he makes up for it in acting ability.
Cornelius, played by the all singing and dancing Robbie Close was amazing and probably the star performer of the night for me.

It's a little and large combination which works really well.

The play is set in World War 1 but for most of the play I'm sure the language was Shakespearean.

The two find Sleeper (played by Laura Brown - who's friends were sitting in front of me).
They don't know how they got there and believe they are ambassadors of the King (Claudius, Hamlet's Uncle).

We don't know if they are insane or if everyone else is?? How can you tell???

This play gives you an insight into what it was like in the First World War and there aren't many people alive that can tell those stories, and to think a second war happened less than 30 years later.

This play brings the war to life in a new and different way.


The Second half starts with them in a bombed out church in France where the doctor (played by Pete McAndrew) delves into what they are doing as they may have taken a bit of a wrong turn (Norway to Denmark via France is a big detour if you ask me!)

We do find out what one of them is there for, but the other one has to go and find himself.

In a world where people are dying left right and centre, it would be easier for them to simply die  as too, but as they struggle on through life they learn that they can cope.

The War broke many people's minds especially those who went out to fight and this play shows how it affected people in a way like never before.

The play has some great jokes that are used really well, for example there is a joke about one of them being a shite actor!

Everyone who is involved in this whether it's the cast or crew should be proud of themselves.

Director Chris Heckels should definitely get some praise for the show as he kinda made Shakespeare good again for me, assisted by Evelyn Ryan.

Voltemand and Cornelius play until 11th of May 2019

Rubes Hiles

The Last Seam - Review - Northern Stage

The Last Seam

Cast at Northern Stage
27th Sept 2018


Written by Garry Lyons
Directed by Daljinder Singh
Produced by Deborah Rees

Cast:  Cathy Breeze, Ray Castleton, 
David Chafer, Jamie Smelt, Emma Tugman

Over the past year I have listened to the conversations around shipbuilding and the loss of our once great industry. The Last Ship and Launch Day were staged. I came to Launch Day and listened to the stories and saw a little piece of history brought to life, and loved it. But - you know there's got to be a but - the Coalfields girl in me was just a little bit - just a smidge - disgruntled that the other great industry of the north seemed to be forgotten. So when I saw that there was a play about mining coming to Northern Stage I stuck my hand straight up for the chance to review it! Finally, the mining was getting its moment in the limelight. I hoped that the miners would be given as honest and sympathetic a treatment as the shipbuilders had received. Coalmining will forever be tainted with the horror of The Strike. It elicits emotional and passionate responses in people. Even now decades later the mention of the strike has a polarising effect. There is no middle ground and the wounds have not healed - they linger, mostly hidden, like a piece of shrapnel under the skin, until someone jars it and the old pain flares up. Would the Last Seam capture all of that? Would it show us an honest portrayal, or tabloid sensationalism?  

Cast's production centres on the closure of the Hatfield Main Colliery in Doncaster. One of the last three deep seam mines in the UK. In 1993, almost 10 years after the strike, British Coal ceased production and the mine was passed through a series of private companies, many of which went into administration, Finally, a loan of £4million from the National Union of Mineworkers enabled the production to move to a new face. The mine should have been safe till Summer 2016 - but after a change in carbon tax and withdrawal of Government funding the mine closed in 2015 with just two weeks notice. Four hundred and thirty men were laid off. How does a community survive when the very life breath is taken from it? 

The Last Seam is the story of the miners, their wives and families, and their community. It is built up from the stories listened to and recorded by the writer Garry Lyons. He says in his introduction to the play that he changed very little of the words - merely wove them together to build the play.  And because of this the play is honest, it holds together with integrity and compassion. It is emotional, there is anger, hate, and sorrow but there is also love, and pride and above all humour. The miners were proud men. The job they did was hard - backbreaking, and no-one wanted that for their children, they wanted better for their kids, but they were immensely proud of what they did. It defined them, and it defined their community. 

The Last Seam shows the disintegration of their way of life; the ferocious fight to survive in the eighties and nineties. What struck me most as the play progressed was the switching of roles - the women in the end were the ones left fighting. It was telling for me that at the end it was the women who chained themselves to the pit railings and protested the closure. The men seemed beaten - not  defeated as such, but resigned, as finally having seen the process so many times they had not the heart to fight this one last betrayal. "We saw what was coming" is a refrain throughout the play. 

The performance by the five actors was spellbinding, they addressed the audience like one half of a conversation - remembering, explaining, telling us their stories, against the backdrop of the pit locker room and a soundtrack of punk bands. 

Did the Cast crew do justice to my mining heritage? Yes they did. it was an incredible performance.  It does not descend into sensationalism, nor morbid pessimism; there is no pity, no condescension, but there is grit and pride, there is empathy, and honesty and integrity.  (It is a credit to the professionalism of the entire team that even when the performance was unexpectedly interrupted, they resumed after the enforced break without a slip.) The five actors played their parts impeccably, impassioned, sympathetic, and completely believable.  

The Last Seam returns to the North East on Thurs 11th and Fri 12th October at The Peacock, Sunderland. It is well worth seeing, whether your background is mining, or shipbuilding or modern commerce and call centres. There is so much that we have lost - not just jobs and industries, but community and humanity. So much in this play rings true even today - perhaps if more people could experience theatre like this then we might begin claw some of it back. 

Denise Sparrowhawk 

Season Preview - Royalty Theatre

ROYALTY THEATRE ANNOUNCES 2018/19 SEASON 

The Royalty Theatre have announced the programme for their 2018/19 season, and it is a strong programme with a great mix of plays which we are very much looking forward to!

They begin a packed season with classic comedy No Sex Please, We’re British. 

The farce by Alistair Foot and Anthony Marriott kicks off a season that theatre bosses believe has something for everyone.  It’s joined in the comedy stakes by May’s Barefoot in the Park, the film version of which starred Robert Redford and Jane Fonda.

For fans of suspense drama, Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel will be performed in October and November, and the time-honoured favourite Dial M for Murder is the Royalty’s March offering.  Hobson’s Choice in February and Jane Austen’s Emma in June add to the drama.

The annual pantomime this year is Jack and The Beanstalk by local writer David Farn.

Once again, the studio is put to use for intimate small scale productions with the premier in  January of Billy Towers’ Mary, Mary, based on the life of Jack the Ripper victim Mary Kelly.  April’s studio production is John Godber and Jane Thornton’s Shakers (Re-stirred)

Thanks to the popularity of last year’s A Night at the Musicals, The Royalty are reprising this for two nights only on September 7^th and 8^th.

Visiting companies include Pink Floyd tribute act What the Floyd, appearing on 5^th October.  Sunderland Stages return to the Royalty with Red Ladder Theatre’s The Damned United, the story of Sunderland and Middlesbrough legend Brian Clough’s ill-fated 44 days at Leeds United, on 13^th and 14^th November.

Artistic Director Nikki Slack says, “We’re now raring to go for the 2018-19 season. We have a year packed with a range of diverse plays that will appeal to all. Recent media has been much focussed on equality and ‘Girl Power’ is certainly coming back with a bang! Our programme of plays this coming season shines the spotlight on our female talent from more female-centred plays to our female directors and technicians.”

Tickets are on sale now at www.ticketsource.co.uk/royaltytheatre.  
Tickets for The Damned United are available from the Sunderland Stages website.

The Desert Queen - Arts Centre Washington - Review

The Desert Queen

Arts Centre Washington
26th July 2018

Hands On NE present this new play by David Farn - The Desert Queen: the Adventurous Life of Northern Hero Gertrude Bell
Directed by Neil Armstrong

Gertrude Bell is a name I have heard, without really knowing much about her beyond a vague awareness that she was a female adventurer. I have to admit I am somewhat ashamed that I did not know more about this amazing woman. Certainly I did not know that she was a local hero, nor the extent of her achievements - not just as a bold adventurer but as a political and social reformer.
David Farn's play is an enlightening, informative and entertaining piece of theatre.
Phillippa Wilson plays Gertrude Bell in what is essentially a monologue punctuated by interjections from the various male characters (and a French stepmother) who have an impact on her life. These characters are played by Brian Lonsdale. Phillippa Wilson creates a character who is bold and forthright, honest and sympathetic, with great compassion and humour. Brian Lonsdale bring equal amounts of humour to the play in the cameo roles he plays. He portrays her companions, her father, brother and stepmother and her lovers - he moves from one character to another with a flourish of head gear, or the straightening of his back, or the flick of a hand...each one presented with humour and each one clearly important to, and beloved of Gertrude Bell.
The audience is addressed throughout so that we feel we are part of the play - Gertrude recounts her life story to us - invites to share in the stories, and this makes it feel very personal. We do feel that we know Gertrude Bell by the end of the play.

There is an enormous amount of information given in this play. David Farn has given us the best history lesson, taught by someone with a love of the subject and we come away with so much knowledge without realising we were learning anything at all.

The Desert Queen is on tour until 6th August in various venues across the region and everyone should see it. Tickets are available online at www.ticketsource.co.uk/hands-on-ne-cic or from the venues.

Denise Sparrowhawk

Tour dates and Venues
27th-28th July - Lit and Phil, Newcastle
30th July Winter Gardens, Sunderland
31st July Little Theatre, Cleadon
2nd Aug Fulwell Community Library
3rd-4th Aug The Exchange, N Shields
5th Aug City Theatre, Durham
6th Aug Customs house, S Shields

Hands On NE are crowdfunding to support the development of the tour. Click the link  to give your support The Desert Queen .

Heaton! - Review - People's Theatre

Heaton!

The People's Theatre
17th July 2018

Heaton! The Peoples Theatre 17^th July 2018 presented in association with Shoe Tree Arts.

Heaton! Is a play inspired by local area of Heaton and the Great Exhibition of the North and is an original production for The People’s Theatre. Upon my arrival my ears were greeted with a full band playing, which was nice, the band was also featured in the play and performed at the end. The play itself was a cornucopia of ideas mixing several genres, including musical aspects, live film action, a blend of real and fictitious characters and stories, set against a backdrop of footage on a giant screen (which wouldn’t look out of place in a cinema).

There was a boatload (quite literally at one point) of cast, not all in speaking rolls, some just for the musical elements, which did make it feel like a musical in places, aside from the fact it actually had some plots to it (sorry I’m not a fan of musicals) The quality of the music was actually quite high too. Some of the characters included from Heaton’s illustrious past included: Lord Armstrong, engineer and original owner of Armstrong Park; Sir Ove Arup the engineer of the Sydney opera house; Sir Charles Parsons the inventor of the steam turbine; Lady Katharine Parsons, the founder of women’s engineering society; Colin Veitch, Heaton’s footballing wonder kid who played in a successful Newcastle United side in the 1800s and early 1900s, who was also co founder The People's Theatre and later a journalist with the Evening Chronicle; prominent feminist and suffragist activist Florence Nightingale Harrison Bell; Rachel Parsons, engineer and advocate for women's employment rights; Edith Stoney, mathematician who helped Charles Parsons in his gas turbine calculations.; Jorn Oberg Utzon a Danish architect notable for designing the Sydney Opera House, and finally George Stanley a historian who narrates much of the action.  

What was very nice was the brilliant original music compositions created specifically for this production by Ken Patterson and Richard Scott. The acting was good and in one of the most enjoyable moments the narrator said Newcastle Upon Tyne instead of Newcastle council, (I guess you had to be there!).  One of the reviews from a guy in the audience made me laugh he said “I thought I was going to fall asleep, but I didn’t it was good”. Praise indeed.

There were so many different stories going on in it, too many to mention, but all weaved into a nice overall narrative capturing the early 1900s in Heaton very well. It was also funny in places, - it seemed to have everything mixing the various genres seamlessly. A whole year's work went into the production and it’s evident, you can see the love that’s gone into it - this is people who are clearly proud of their local heritage. The place was packed out like I’ve rarely seen it, I had a blast and learned a lot and you will too. Get down and share in some local pride! 

Frank Cromartie Murphy

Westovians - Preview - A Funny Thing Happened on the Way to Durham

A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Durham,  

Tuesday 10^th to Saturday 14^th July 2018.   

Westovians final show of the year is a comedy written by Ed Waugh and Trevor Wood. It is an irreverent and anarchic take on the story of the Lindisfarne Gospels. A sketch-based play, featuring around 40 characters played by just three actors, A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Durham, covers more than 1400 years of English History in just 90 hilarious minutes. It included encounters with many famous historical figures, including five Kings of England, a Saint, several Vikings and Monks, a Leper, a Spin-Doctor, the Easter Bunny, and of course, Sherlock Holmes.

Tickets are just£8 (Tuesday and £9 (Wednesday – Saturday), and are available online at Ticketsource, or from the Visitor Information Centre at The Word. Tickets will be available from the Theatre Box Office each night during the performance from 10^th July. Theatre doors open at 7pm, and the performance starts at 7.30pm. 

Further details on the show are available here .

Watch out for the following outside hires coming up soon too! 

• Friday 27^th and Saturday 28^th July – The Blue Flamingos 60’s Review, a live band bringing you hits from both sides of the Atlantic (The Kinks, The Searchers, The Beatles, The Everly Brothers, The Mamas and the Papas to name but a few). Further information is available here. Tickets priced £12.50 are available at the Westovian’s Ticketsource.
• Friday 14^th (7.30pm) and Saturday 15^th September (2.30pm/7.30pm) – Ed Waugh’s The Great Joe Wilson, a play with Geordie songs, about the life of the undisputed North East concert hall superstar. It starts Micky Cochrane, Sarah Boulter and Phil Corbitt, and is directed by Russell Floyd, with Joe’s words put to music by Pete Scott. Please see here for further information. Tickets cost £16 and are available at the Westovian’s Ticketsource.
• Thursday 20^th – Saturday 22^nd September – the Gilbert and Sullivan Society Concert. Please see their Facebook page for further details.
• Saturday 15^th (7pm) and Sunday 16^th December (2pm/6pm) – we welcome back Encore for their Christmas show. Please see their Facebook page for further details.  

Launch Day - Northern Stage - Review

Launch Day
Northern Stage
29th May 2018

Presented by Kelly-Abbott Dance Theatre
Choreography by Kristin Kelly-Abbott
Produced by Phil Hargreaves
Costume by Kim McDermottroe
Lighting by Mark Parry
Music by Breifne Holohan and Mark Knopfler

Inspired by the art of Alexander Millar, and featuring the haunting music of Breifne Holohan and Mark Knopfler, Launch Day tells the story of shipbuilding in the north.

It is peopled with the flat-capped, booted and overalled men, who shuffle their way to and from work, waved off by headscarfed wives and mothers. It sounds cliched, but it is not. It is a representation of a time, and a way of life that was very real. These are tough men and women. Their lives are hard, their work is hard, but there is pride in it.
The dances and the music echo the beat of the hammers, the flying sparks of the welders and riveters. he energy of the workers, and the bone-weariness at the end of the day.

But, it is not all hard work - there is also play. There is football, and there is the pub. They recreate the beautiful game, and the rivalry between neighbouring shipbuilding towns - the red and whites and the black and whites, fans chanting and cheering and jeering (you're not singing anymore!), players scoring and tackling and arguing with the Ref.
And after the match, of course, they go for a pint! I think only in the north east of England, could a Saturday night skinful, falling over and throwing up, be made into a dance and turned into a thing of beauty.

Launch Day combines dance, art, technology and music - the traditional and the modern, to tell a poignant tale. Images of Millar's art are projected onto the backdrop and we hear words spoken by the shipbuilders while throughout the piece there is the constant echo of the hammers, the gentle lapping of water, and the image of a ship's prow sliding slowly into the sea.

This evening was actually the final day of the Launch Day tour, returning to where it started for its last hurrah. I feel privileged to have seen it. 

Denise Sparrowhawk