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The Steelworkers Midsummer Nights Dream In Consett Heritage Park
Location: Durham
For a week in the summer of 2004 a number of open air performances of ‘A Midsummer Nights Dream’ took place in the newly restored Victorian park in Consett. These performances marked the culmination of the projects research into the steel towns own heritage and involved the local community in all aspects of the project, from collating the information to participation in the production itself. The play was an interpretation of this history.
The emphasis was placed on the history of the Ironworks (to mark the 25th anniversary of the steelworks closure) and that of the Park (which was gifted to the town by the Ironworks in 1891) The project worked with local schools creating memory books and stories of the past; researched Victorian music, dress, dialect and dance and visited the local care homes to record the tales of the older members of the community.
Actors took the parts of local Victorians involved in the Ironworks, supported by 15-20 volunteer locals in full Victorian costume. There was pre-show entertainment including a walkabout that involved 30 school children with lanterns. The project and in particular the open air performances have generated civic pride, with requests that this be developed to an annual event, which the group hopes to achieve. A booklet is being produced which will capture local memories of the Ironworks and an education pack will document research from the workshops.
The Nationwide Award funded the costumes for the play, including fairy costumes for small children.
Group Name |
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The Mad Alice Theatre Company |
| Project Contact |
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Shelley O'Brien |
| Address |
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8 St. Aidan's Place. Blackhill. Consett. County Durham . DH8 5SU. Tel: 01207 509823 |
| Project Postcode |
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DH8 5SU |
| Finishing Date |
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30 Jun 05 |
| Grants: |
Heritage Lottery Fund: £17840
Nationwide Building Society: £1000
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