Spyglass Project
- 17Nineteen & Theatre Space NE
- September - October 2024
- Research and stagemanagement support for a co-curated project to produce a play on Sunderland's history.
Background
The Spyglass Project was a collaboration of the team at 17Nineteen (previously Holy, Trinity Church, now a community focal point filled with events and projects) and Theatre Space North East (who make anywhere into a background for their community made productions).
Trying to find more things to get involved with I came across a poster for the project calling for people interested in history, heritage, theatre, crafts, costume and more – all of which were me! I joined the project part way through the writing stage.
The whole production – from initial ideas, to writing, to performers were from the community around Sunderland who wanted to share their own history. The legacy of the project, is that you can now watch the recorded performances about the church on its own website. Making it lasting permanent interpretation, filmed where the very stories took place.
The Play itself:
“Four teens sneak into Seventeen Nineteen (Holy Trinity Church, Sunderland) after dark and disturb a box of artifacts, bringing historical figures to life. Guided by these characters, they journey through time to return the items before midnight, encountering a nurse and Rev. Robert Gray during a cholera outbreak, facing trial in the vestry’s court, uncovering William Elliott’s heartfelt letter, and reliving Jack Crawford’s heroics and struggles. Along the way, the teens learn about Sunderland’s rich history and their own potential. Returning the artifacts in time, they reflect on the past, embrace the present, and look forward to the future.”
Research
The co-curators had already made a start on the research when I got involved, they’d found the stories connected to the church they wanted to explore and developed what would happen in each of the four scenes.
My role became adding the historical context – mainly in the form of what the characters would know at that time about what was going on e.g. the Cholera Epidemic. In two cases this research revealed new stories that were developed into the existing scenes:
- An example of grave robbing from the church’s own graveyard
- An advert for a fundraiser ran by the church at another site which offered an explanation for why a young William Elliot was able to hide his letter the same day.
I also conducted research of what clothing would be right for the different characters, producing references to inspire the items sourced.
A replica of William Elliot’s letter made by Southmoor Sixth Form.
Stage Management
I was also part of the project’s stage management team. Many of the original co-curators became part of the play’s cast. This meant that those with technical theatre knowledge became even more valuable in explaining to them what was and wasn’t feasible to bring their ideas to life. Helping develop the play from ideas and a script into the recorded performance was an amazing experience.
Molly became involved part of the way through the writing process and has been invaluable researching and adding historical facts and details to what had already been found to add the cultural aspects of the production. She has also been involved in costuming of the production; her historical knowledge has been incredibly useful!
Animated trailer for the project made by a talented cast member ~Ponkasaur Productions~
Evaluation Video of 17Nineteen featuring footage of the Spyglass Project and many of the people involved.
Coming Soon!
Article exploring the historical narratives I uncovered.