Gordon Meredith returns to Stage4Beverley to bring history alive through stories and music and is joined this time by musician Phil Simpson.
Stealing Seven Hens is a journey from rural East Yorkshire in the early 19th century to the far off colonies of Australia where men and women convicted of the most trivial of crimes were taken. This dramatisation puts the 19th century judicial system in the dock and asks if such a harsh punishment really did fit the crime?
The convicts we meet include the infamous Snowden Dunhill of East Yorkshire who, along with nine other members of his notorious family, were transported to meet a variety of fates.
As the plights of local rogues, vagabonds and thieves are told, this piece of Folk Theatre features traditional & contemporary music & song inspired by material from the ‘Broadside Ballads’; an extensive collection of folk tales about the terrors and triumphs of the many thousands of people who were dumped on the far side of the world.
Stealing Seven Hens follows Gordon’s previous shows at the last two festivals, ‘Swinging the Lamp’ and ‘Broadside On’ that have both gone on to be performed elsewhere in the region and received great praise…
“What a powerful show: humble, well-crafted and beautiful! A balance of stories, music, eye-witness accounts, pain, fun and tears. Impressive!”
“Superb acting quality singing and a production which gripped from start to finish.”
“Broadside On is an evocative history of the Beverley shipyard. An amalgam of archival images, hauntingly beautiful music and an excellently crafted script, the play brings to life oral histories that capture our local heritage.”
“We thought Broadside On was superb today – really interesting content and brilliantly acted.
It is the best thing I have ever seen at the theatre!!”
Stealing Seven Hens at the Stage4Beverley Festival, East Riding Theatre, Saturday February 15th 2020 at 12.00 noon.
Early bird Tickets £10 / Standard price £12
Venue Details
EAST RIDING THEATRE IS A COMMUNITY THEATRE, BASED IN BEVERLEY. Established in 2014, the venue was created from a former Victorian chapel and it oifers an intimate space for enjoying many types of entertainment, with a 200 seat auditorium and fully licensed Café Bar. The year-round programme of entertainment, includes theatre, music, comedy, spoken word and much more. Regular exhibitions of art are displayed within the Theatre Gallery. It is also a venue that is often used for festivals and other events. OUR VOLUNTEERS ARE THE LIFEBLOOD OF OUR THEATRE Without our Volunteers we would not have a theatre. They are passionate about the entertainment programme that we deliver and dedicated in making a contribution to our day-to-day activities throughout all areas of the theatre – whether it be welcoming our audience front-of-house, selling tickets in the box office, serving drink and food in our café bar, helping with maintenance, keeping the theatre clean or one of many other roles! BOX OFFICE & CAFÉ BAR OPENING TIMES Tuesday – Friday 10am – 4pm Saturday 10am – 2pm Onsite Café Vegetarian menu options Vegan Menu options Gluten Free menu options Local Brews Afternoon Tea The Theatre's facilities are also open at all times during any performance.
Facilities
Accessible Information Points
Accessible Toilets
Assistance Dogs
Baby Changing
Changing Places Toilet
Hearing Loop
Level Access
Onsite Cafe
Wheelchair Access
