Headingley LitFest: Red Ladder's musical evening

Sunday, 8 March 2015

Red Ladder's musical evening - with Boff Whalley

Red Ladder Theatre Company Photo: Richard Wilcocks

Laurah Furner writes:
The New Headingley Club played host to a fantastic evening of music performance by Red Ladder Theatre Company last night. Victoria Brazier, Claire Marie Seddon and Stacey Sampson, with musical direction by Becky Owen, created a vibrant and comfortable atmosphere for the audience, in an intimate and emotionally charged performance of their production, ‘We’re Not Going Back’. The night was packed with flawless harmonies, combined at frequent intervals with brilliant anecdotes on the creative process by the writer of the show, Boff Whalley.

No costumes were required for this group to create a stunning performance that celebrates the journeys to self-empowerment produced through the 1984/5 miner’s strike with which the play was concerned. Whalley discussed in depth the authenticity which the production aims to exude, and it was certainly this aspect which seemed to touch the hearts of audience members. Highlights included the song ‘This Was War’, and the funeral scene, which achieved an emotional intimacy that had the woman sitting next to me in tears. Whalley observed that ‘It’s not the play, it’s the conversation afterwards that matter’, and it’s this hope to truthfully depict the social upheaval caused by the miner’s strike whilst engaging with the strength of community that left me feeling both humbled and uplifted as I left.

Headingley LitFest is very grateful for the support from Leeds University student volunteers Laura Cummins, Laurah Furner and Serene Leong.

Audience Feedback:

Good to see the spirit of radical theatre is still alive. Thanks. Great show, lovely actors. (Tom Burden)

Wonderfully creative and authentic way of bringing real people’s experiences and emotions alive. Lovely harmony and a nice punchy folk song at the end. Anon

Marvellous emotive music without being depressing. Anon

It was very informative and enjoyable. Anon

Very enjoyable. Fantastic harmonies and an obvioius passion for the subject. (Adam Savage)

Wonderfully nuanced way to hear a story we think we know already. (Laura Cummins)

Really enjoyed the songs and explanation of the play, having sadly not seen it. I was born during the Miners’ Strike and have a scar on my neck where a piece of coal spat out of the fire and attached itself to me as I sat in my baby bouncer in our house in Huddersfield (Shepley). Very moving and enthusiastic cast, hope your funding continues. (Erica Mitchell)

I’ve waited thirty one years for some humour on the Miners’ Strike. It’s about time (DS)

Very good, nice songs and harmonies. (Angela M)

Yet again Red Ladder produce an authentic beautifully produced interpretation well researched. Lovely harmonies. (Richard Howson)

I enjoyed the ‘introduction’ to the play and its songs, interesting to hear how it came together. Would now love to see the whole thing - which I hope will be round soon! (Paul Connor)

Wonderfully structured, highly accessible performance, emotionally charged atmosphere of positivity and realism, committed to a truthful depiction of the 1984/5 miners’ strike. (Laurah Furner)

A very moving and insightful performance. Touching, funny and informative. Made me want to see the whole play! It brought out the human cast and the sometimes unexpected transformations of individuals. Red Ladder know how to put across an historical political and human condition very effectively. The company should be supported. (Marion Purchon)

Warm, witty and thought-provoking. An education for this southerner. (Helen Ashman)

A real eye opener and very interesting to learn some local history as a student not from the area. Thank you! (Stella Spriggs)

Very good introduction and show by the Red Ladder Theatre company, particularly the songs. I visited the National Mining Museum near Wakefield a few weeks ago which was very interesting. Nice form by the group afterwards as well. (Jonathan Fetson)

It was a privilege to see Red Ladder describe the process of their drama and to see them perform and explain the play and the politics. Brilliant! (Maggie Burden)

Enjoyed the songs but could do without the rambling commentary. (Martin)

Extremely engaging. Moving too. (Duncan)

No comments:

LITERARY HEADINGLEY

Headingley is just the place for it! Don't expect a big circus with marquees, though: we're not at that stage yet. We're all volunteers as well.

Our venues include the HEART Centre on Bennett Road, the New Headingley Club on St Michael's Road, friendly cafés, historic local cinemas, Headingley Library, people's houses and the historic Leeds Library in Commercial Street, city centre.

Headingley's Literary Links

Headingley has strong connections with many writers:

Arthur Ransome was born in Headingley, J R R Tolkien lived at 5 Holly Bank and also at 2 Darnley Road, West Park when he was reader in English Language at the University of Leeds 1920 - 25, Alan Bennett lived over a butcher's shop opposite the Three Horseshoes, now Royale Dry Cleaners.

Lucy Newlyn has published poetry about her early life in Headingley, George Orwell stayed at 21 Estcourt Avenue with his sister Marjorie and her husband Humphrey 'Humpy' Dakin (with whom he visited the Brontë Parsonage Museum in Haworth), T S Eliot used to visit his mother-in-law in Weetwood Lane, William Fryer Harvey was brought up in Spring Bank, Trevor Griffiths lived just off Victoria Road on Winstanley Terrace, Jon Silkin's first office of STAND magazine was his flat at 144 Otley Road, Sir Geoffrey Hill lived in Shire Oak Road, Peter Redgrove lived in Headingley between 1962 and 1965 when he was Gregory Fellow of Poetry at the University of Leeds, and playwright Kay Mellor still lives near The Hollies in Far Headingley.

Wilson Barrett, the charismatic first manager of the Grand Theatre, Leeds (a prolific playwright as well), lived in Beech Grove Terrace, Woodhouse in the 1870s. His house was a meeting place for many writers, artists and visitors to Leeds - such as W. S. Gilbert, George Grossmith and Atkinson Grimshaw.

Headingley LitFest 2020 was the thirteenth. The fourteenth will take place from March 2021 and will be adapted to the rules of the Covid pandemic. We are now a proud part of the annual Leeds Lit Fest.