Out & About September 2017

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one person, a woman born in 1920, who grows
up on the common during its pre-war days of
innocence, and then lives through the war, the
arrivals of the Ugandan Asian refugees and the
arrival of nuclear weapons.
“I didn’t want to be seen as taking sides in
the debate about the peace camp, because
everyone I have ever met here has a different
take on it.”
And so the story evolved.
Writing for a large-scale production is very
different from anything Beth has done before,
but she relishes the challenge.
“For a large-scale show like this, you can’t
really have any dialogue like in a normal play.
This was new to me. I had to think of ways of
telling the story across a massive open space
with potentially thousands of people watching.
“The hardest thing has been leaving so much
out: there are important stories that I haven’t
been able to include because there isn’t time
or resources… or because we can’t actually
do a plane crash… but there is a whole series
of talks and discussions going on around the
main event and I hope very much that they will
fill the gaps that I have had to leave.”
So far the production is going well, but is
Beth enjoying the process? She realises the
magnitude of the event: “It’s terrifying! Please
ask me afterwards when we have all got
through it intact.”
So what should we, the audience, expect
when we come along to the performances on
September 8 and 9?
“I hope that it will feel like a mass coming
together, a celebration of what exists today
on the common, and the enormous courage
shown on this piece of land over the years.
I hope also that everyone taking part and
everyone watching will simply have a brilliant
night.
“Something they will remember for years to
come.”
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