THE PORT, THE BEAST AND THE TRAVELLER
POW's at Dieppe - 1942
Gibbon Road - Barge blast bomb damage - 1944
Event at the Fort - 22nd September 2012
By Sara Clifford
THE PORT, THE BEAST AND THE TRAVELLER – for one night only!
On September 22nd 2012, Newhaven Fort will be taken over for a brand new show, The Port, the Beast and the Traveller, written by local award-winning playwright, Sara Clifford.
In a site- specific community event, the Fort will be inhabited by local artists, dancers, actors and musicians, to recreate a wartime fair and dancehall – there will be stalls and sideshows, showcasing the work of local people, and a live theatre performance.
Inspired by the Dieppe Raid of 1942, the script draws on the real stories and memories of local people, and includes text by Newhaven writers, to tell the story of a soldier returning home, lost for 70 years. His wife is still waiting – apparently old on the outside but forever young, Penelope has been keeping watch for him. But will he return in time before she slides into forgetfulness for ever ?
Meanwhile, from April to July, local people are invited to take part in an exciting outreach programme linked to the show, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund – including opportunities for free training in accessing and using archives with East Sussex Records Office; learning about Dieppe with the knowledgeable staff at Newhaven Fort; linked primary and secondary schools workshops; a chance to share stories and memories about Newhaven with specialist oral historians, Spoken Memoirs; and open workshops in dance, drama, music, art and costume-making, with a view to participating in the performance.
A co-production between inroads productions and Zap Art ( the people behind Generik Vapeur’s Newhaven Cormorant! seen in Newhaven last year), the company will work with local schools, art groups, theatre groups and dancers to explore the history of Newhaven and its people, to create work that will form part of the event.
A magical and moving show, created for, with and by Newhaven people - this will be an evening to remember!
A FREE family friendly event, accessible to all !
The project is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, East Sussex County Council, Lewes District Council and Newhaven Town Council and supported by Newhaven Fort and East Sussex Records Office.
We have finalised the dates for the oral history sessions.
'We are actively looking for people to take part in oral history interviews about their experiences, memories of and stories about World War Two and the Dieppe Raid in particular, and also growing up in Newhaven during the war.
The dates are :
Thursday 31st May, 10am - 1.00pm
Friday 1st June, 2pm - 5pm
Monday 11th June, 6.30pm - 8pm
All at the Hillcrest Centre, free tea provided!
We will also have a stall at the Fish Festival on the 2nd June with more information
For further information please contact:
Sara Clifford
theportthebeastthetraveller@gmail.com