Final Day

We are all feeling rather sad that our Drama days are over but todays performance was still great fun.  Angela stepped into the gulf left by Sarah going back to York and the Jarrow Marchers were the best so far.  The three schools: Guildford Grove, Godalming Primary and All Saints worked really hard and it was very good we still had a sizeable and appreciative audience to watch.  All the schools involved in performing and watching this week seemed to have had a really good time. Hopefully we can put some quotes and photos in the next post.

Drama - Day 2

Another fantastic day.  Two schools today who both worked hard to put together a fantastic drama by 1:45, for our audience of St Michael's and Queen Eleanors.  Doing it a second time meant we were slightly slicker with props and costumes. The arrival of the queen to buy a brick and to concecrate the Cathedral looked really effective as did the Home Guards' drilling and the evacuees waving from the train windows.  The silent movie group really got into their parts and the pilgrims were loud and clear.  Special mention to our audience who behaved extremely well.Just one day remains- will miss it when its over!

First Day's Drama

Today was the first day.  We had over 100 children from 3 schools: Weyfield, All Saints and Ardingly Prep.  They all arrived in good time and within half an hour Dave had them learning the dance he had devised which covered dance moves of the last 5 decades which will be performed in front of a backdrop of images.  We then split into groups to practice the scenes.  It all came together after lunch when we got out all the props and costumes for the dress rehearsal. Our audience arrived, including St Michael's School and we started!  Highlights included the Charleston girls, the VE day tea party scene and the building scene.  Both performers and audience throughly enjoyed it and we are all off for a lie down before doing it all again tomorrow!

All Coming Together!

Dave has now finalised the script and put together a list of props, images and sound effects we will need to put it on.  Have found that Southwark Cathedral may be able to lend us some Pilgrim outfits for our narrators and Catherine is to ask some schools costume departments about other things.  We now have schools booked in for the Tuesday and Wednesday but there is still space for a few more.

A script, a school and lots of hats

Had another meeting with Dave on Monday looking through his script.  It is really great seeing how the rough ideas are developing in characters.  Lots of potentially fun parts for the children to play: acting out workers on a Building Site; Jarrow Marchers; and Charleston dancing hedonists.  Had lots of fun talking through the final scene where we try and summarise the 5 decades since 1961.  Then an interesting trip to see the Archivist and look at her old black and white photos of the Cathedral being built.  Hopefully we can put some of these into a Powerpoint to back project.  It was funny how the ladies were never seen without hats - even when sewing kneelers!  We will need a lot of hats in the props basket!!!!

First School interested

We now have our first school expressing an interest.  Mike North has put together an excellent flierand we are preparing a list of local schools to contact.

Bricks in the Wall

Monday 20th Sept

Thanks to Dave we have now decided on title and strap lines which are

"Bricks in the wall"   

If you build it they will come! 

The 50 year story of a cathedral built on faith

Next job is to see about inviting local schools and raising the profile for the event.  It would be good to collect as many recollections of building the Cathedral as possible whilst it is still in living memory.