Townsend productions have been chosen by Live & Local to stage the very first trial run of a rural touring production. The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists will be staged at Reepham & Cherry Willingham Village Hall in Lincolnshire on the 25th September.
Professional rural touring, where professional performances take place in rural venues, has been a vital part of the touring infrastructure in the UK for many years; but of course, as with all theatre, performances were stopped in their tracks with the outbreak of COVID.
Now rural touring schemes including Live & Local are looking into how to safely perform professional productions once more in Village Halls and Community Centres, libraries and outdoors.
John Laidlaw from Live & Local said, “ensuring that a show is professionally managed in a setting that is rarely a fully equipped arts venue can bring challenges at any time; but with Covid, we have to be redouble our efforts to make the space work for us, so that shows can be performed safely. We’re delighted to be able to work with Townsend Theatre productions and our wonderful local Promoters at Reepham & Cherry Willingham to bring ‘The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’ to Lincolnshire, giving local audiences the chance to once again experience high level professional theatre on their doorstep This first trial will be carried out with strict social distancing measures in place to reassure audiences, allowing for performance to go ahead in a “Covid-safe” environment”
Originally a novel written in 1910 by Robert Tressell; The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists’ is a classic representation of the impoverished and politically powerless underclass of British society in Edwardian England, ruthlessly exploited by the institutionalised corruption of their employers and the civic and religious authorities. Epic in scale, the novel charts the ruinous effects of the laissez-faire mercantilist ethics on the men, women, and children of the working classes, and through its emblematic characters, argues for a socialist politics as the only hope for a civilised and humane life for all.
In Neil Gore’s adaptation, this famous working-class classic novel is reimagined as a one-man magic lantern show using Magic Lantern and projected animation, with political conjuring tricks, live music and song. This piece was originally designed to allow one actor to control the whole performance; from the lighting to the music they alone control the story and the stage. Meaning this interpretation is perfect for a socially distanced performance.
Compelling, humorous and clear in its modern-day relevance, with reference to the current economic climate, job security, workplace scenarios, party politics and class systems, the work combines storytelling with stirring song, poetry and movement
The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists is at Reepham & Cherry Willingham Village Hall on Friday 25th September 2020. Tickets are available here
