Thursday APRIL 11th – 7.30pm – Newhampton Arts Centre, Wolverhampton WV1 4AN
Box Office: 01902 572 090 WEBSITE tickets £8/£9
Townsend Theatre Productions
in association with Sands Films Studios and The Society for the Study of Labour History
present: “Behold Ye Ramblers!” a new play by Neil Gore Directed & Designed by Louise Townsend with music about the Clarion Movement and the ‘Right To Roam’
“Behold Ye Ramblers!” – weaves poetry, song, wit, music and comedy in a performance revealing the history of the Clarion Movement that inspired the development of outdoor pursuits and leisure for ‘the many’ and established vital campaigns to claim the right to walk freely across the countryside; to protect, defend and connect with the land.
TRAILER https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ydJEY_wVHe0
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️ ‘Outstanding Production’ – The Morning Star
From about 1890 up to the 1930s, readers of the “The Clarion” newspaper formed clubs and societies dedicated to leisure and educational pursuits for the furtherance of health and wellbeing – Clarion Cycling, Clarion Rambling, Scouts, Vocal Unions (choirs), drama groups, brass bands – as well as the Clarion Van for the promotion of Socialism.
New, lively arrangements of songs from the Clarion Song Book (from such luminaries as William Morris, Edward Carpenter and Edith Nesbit) and popular songs amongst the cyclists and ramblers will be front and centre of the performance.
“Behold Ye Ramblers!” is yet another significant contribution to Townsend Theatre Productions’ growing list of authoritative, professionally produced new plays about working-class and labour history, from ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’ to plays about Britain’s first black bus driver, the Tolpuddle Martyrs, the Grunwick Strike, the Spanish Civil War, the Women Chain-Makers, the Shrewsbury Pickets, the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders’ Work In, the Chartists as well as short films and archive material.
The company’s plays have toured the UK to huge critical acclaim and to large audiences in hundreds of city, town and remote venues, large and small, for over twelve years. The basis of the work is one of partnership with communities, artists and campaigners. The plays, often developed with testimony from recorded interviews or documentary sources, resonate with our working-class audience experience, offering a safe and secure place for those engaged to have their voice heard and feel included in the process of artistic endeavour. The aim of the work is, and always has been, to create outstanding, imaginative, entertaining, accessible and socially-relevant live theatre.
Townsend Productions
The show will have the same artistic team behind it as the recently successful, ‘Yes Yes UCS’
Louise Townsend (producer/director) Directed: The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists, We Will Be Free!, United We Stand, On the Road to Freedom, Dare Devil Rides To Jarama, We are The Lions Mr Manger and Rouse Ye Women, Farewell Leicester Square and Yes Yes UCS. Casting Director: Lion King, We Will Rock You (West End) & film, National Theatre & Young Vic.
Neil Gore (writer/performer) Writer of: “Yes Yes UCS’‘ We Will Be Free!, United We Stand, On The Road To Freedom, Dare Devil Rides To Jarama, We Are The Lions Mr Manager (StageScripts 10@10 winner) and Rouse Ye Women, Farewell Leicester Square , Yes Yes UCS adapter of Ragged Trousered Philanthropists. Actor: West End, Rep, Touring, community theatre.
Daniella Beattie (lighting designer) Resident lighting designer at the New Vic, Stoke: over 60 productions incl. TMA Best Lighting Award 2009 for The Wicked Lady; also for Oldham Coliseum, Bolton Octagon, St. James Theatre, London, Northern Broadsides, Orange Tree Richmond. Trained at Bretton Hall (Uni of Leeds).
Townsend Theatre Productions are award winners! – in the past the company’s work has been recognised through the North-East Theatre Awards for best touring production of 2022, ‘Stagescripts’ 10@10 Award (2018) & ‘Eastern Eye’ ACTA best actress Award (2017) for “We Are The Lions, Mr. Manager!”; Edinburgh Fringe Awards best actress (2013) for “We Will Be Free!”; the company’s work has featured on BBCBreakfast, BBCr2Jeremy Vine, BBCr4’s ‘Women’s Hour’ and ‘Front Row’, and in ‘The Observer’, ‘The Times’ and ‘The Scotsman’.