Before Underwych

The great and also alarming thing about any new project is the new learning that comes your way. As I am putting my first thoughts together about Underwych as a first time blogger, this could be a message that gets lost in the some IT out-ether and that no one will read this other than myself! Anyway: here goes...

Underwych, like the Hydra, is going to be a many-headed beast. For some, the writers, it will be an opportunity to research and write work that, following a process of collaboration, will be staged for an audience to enjoy. I am looking forward to reading the pieces of work that the various writers have been developing over the last couple of months. I know that many of those working on pieces will have strong individual voices and it will be fascinating to meld those different tones and textures into a dramatised narrative. Since the early nineties I have worked as a solo writer, researching and writing plays based on people's memories of the past; it is going to be very interesting and challenging to combine together the ideas and approaches of a group of writers into a single play. I'm looking forward to the writing workshop day in January when, together with John Lindley - a Cheshire poet laureate - we can fully engage in the process.

Another head of the Hydra is that of the contributors of stories about Northwich's past. It is always fascinating to listen to people's memories and reflections. Of course, there are very few people with memories of the most dramatic moments of subsidence; however, there are ancestral voices - i.e. memories passed down through the generations - and I am hopeful that the researchers will be able to unlock some of that material. We have already had the opportunity of listening to some first hand voices and hope to continue to do so over the next month or so. Interviews have taken place at Day Centres, for instance. We have also been able to access material from those who are working on programmes such as the mine stabilisation project for a more modern perspective. It's always intriguing to explore how the past impacts upon the present; for me, that is what makes projects such as 'Underwych' rewarding. That and the opportunity of exploring new knowledge.

One of the elements of the project that I am particularly looking forward to is the link with the local schools. Five schools will receive 'Underwych' workshops enabling young people aged between 9 and 13 to understand more about their local heritage. We will be using material unearthed through the research process and will shape that material in the form of whole day and half day workshops. The schools we have spoken to are keen to promote greater knowledge and understanding of local heritage and 'Underwych' will provide that opportunity. We will be using a variety of practititioners to deliver the workshops, making links between arts learning and understanding about heritage. This is very much in keeping with what is happening in other parts of the country. In February there is conference in the Black Country that explores this approach to developing young people's appreciation of their locality.

Another 'head' will be staging 'Underwych'. A community of local performers will put on the play that the writers create. I know that some of those performers are people who will have been involved in local events such as 'A Stroll in the Park' at Tatton, 'The Marbury Mysteries' and, most recently, 'Salt Tellers' but we are hoping that new faces will appear in 'Underwych'. Some people will want to perform but many others would prefer to enjoy backstage work: creating the world of 'Underwych'. They will be supported, when necessary, by people that we will employ to teach any skills the company might need in prop making, choreography, singing, media making and in other area that might need developing.

Finally, we don't want 'Underwych' to fade once performed. For that reason we are working on how to keep a DVD and written record of the process and the different events associated with its life cycle.

So Underwych is quite a beast. I am looking forward to working with all concerned - albeit with a clock ticking loudly in my head to remind myself that July 2007 fast approaches! Do get in touch with either myself or Mathilde if you want to know more or wish to find out how to contribute.

Regards

Robert