The powerful story of a fishing community united to campaign for far greater safety stands on trawlers will be re-told at Barton upon Humber’s Ropery Hall later this month.
Singer/songwriter Reg Meuross’s song cycle 12 Silk Handkerchiefs tells the story of Hull’s Hessle Road community were devastated in January 1968 when three Hull trawlers, the St Romanus, the Kingston Peridot and the Ross Cleveland perished and 58 men died in what became known as the Dark Winter.
First performed in Hull Minster late last year Reg is now taking the show on a national tour this Autumn supported by public funding from the National Lottery through Arts Council England.
The music which tells of fighting fishwife Lillian Bilocca, who led a battle for better trawler safety following the Triple Trawler Disaster and the songs were inspired by the book, The Headscarf Revolutionaries by Brian W Lavery.
Joined on stage by stalwarts of the Hull folk scene, musicians Mick McGarry and Sam Martyn, Reg’s powerful songs are interwoven with narration from the author and an audio/visual show that includes rarely-seen archive footage, photos and audio from the time of the disaster. Three Hull trawlers, the St Romanus, the Kingston Peridot and the Ross Cleveland perished and 58 men died in what became known as the Dark Winter.
“Brian’s book, The Headscarf Revolutionaries, is now shorthand for the four women Lillian Bilocca, Mary Denness, Yvonne Blenkinsop and Christine Jensen who fought the trawler bosses in a campaign which ended in Westminster,” said Liz Bennet of The Ropewalk.
The show also covered a fourth tragedy, from which the show gets its name, telling how Lillian Bilocca was ostracised by her community and overlooked by history, ending her days in obscurity. Her last action in 1988 as she lay dying, which was to send her daughter Virginia to buy a dozen handkerchiefs to give as gifts to those who had cared for her in hospital.
“Fans of Reg’s music, so accustomed to seeing his intimate solo performances at folk clubs and festivals across the land, will be stunned by the power of this show, and those new to him will find it impossible not to be moved by this emotional and humbling tribute to the many, many lives lost to what was once the most dangerous industry in the world,” Liz went on.
Twelve ilk Handkerchiefs, Songs & Storytelling will be performed on Saturday, September 21, starting at 7.30pm. Tickets cost £13 in advance or £15 on the door. Advance tickets can be bought online at www.roperyhall.co.uk, by telephoning 01652 660380 or in person from The Ropewalk’s Craft Gallery/
‘The Pioneers of Experimental Modern Rock are back! Kreye (pronounced ‘cry’) bring not only the soul of timeless rock music, along with a whole host of experimental new sounds, but an energetic performance with power and raw emotion that is almost orchestral.’
This performance is part of our American Car Day with a donation bucket to ‘Pay what you think’.
TWO DICKENS GHOST STORIES WITH A COMIC TWIST
Adapted and directed by Gavin Robertson and performed by Nicholas Collett
From the team who brought you ‘Done To Death By Jove!’ and “Is That A Whip In Your Hand?”
Two of Charles Dickens’ creepy tales – with a comic twist. Tales with a tingle, but also a giggle! Two yarns to chill and charm! A traveller encounters a ghostly chair, and in a deserted Edinburgh carriageworks, a tipsy reveller is spirited away by…well…spirits!
Like “The Woman in Black” – but funnier, with fewer people!
Gavin and Nicholas have toured all over the UK as well as recent tours to USA and Australia
“The ghost of a smile? More like an ear-to-ear grin. Come for the writing. Stay for the performance. Get your frock coats on and go see this!” ‘GetYourCoatsOn’ (Edinburgh Fringe)
*This performance is part of our Members’ 241 Offer. Please ask for details.
THE GOOSEBUMPS OF DELIGHT!
Adapted & Directed by Gavin Robertson
Performed by Nicholas Collett
A sequel to THE GHOST OF A SMILE, and spookily apt between Halloween and Christmas, two (more) of Charles Dickens’ ghost stories, but with a comic element- adapted from his original stories ‘The Baron of Grogzwig’ – in which a downhearted Noble is visited by a Demon, and ‘The Goblins Who Stole A Sexton’ – the latter being Dickens’ own inspiration for what later became A CHRISTMAS CAROL!
The themes of redemption and humility are all there – but funnier!
Physical theatre/storytelling…with a handy interval!
“Robertson and Collett are exceptional” Kansas City Star (USA)
*This performance is part of our Members’ 241 Offer. Please ask for details.
5-star award-winning entertainment from the tip-top Queen of Comedy.
In Barbra Streisand’s recent autobiography, she says:
“I haven’t had much fun in my life, to tell you the truth. And I want to have more fun.”
Join ordinary housewife extraordinaire Barbara Nice for a laugh-out-loud joyful get-together as we reconnect with what makes life worth living.
Barbara says “In these dark days, we need to find fun whenever we piggin’ can”. Expect Barbara’s unique comic insights into the current state of play on how we are all getting on.
This smashin’ show is suitable for anyone aged from fourteen to four score & ten, guaranteed to lift the spirits and put a spring in your step.
Edinburgh Festival regular and comedy circuit headliner Barbara Nice brings out the hidden joy in all of us.
Age: 14+
Room – A journey into the creative mind of Virginia Woolf
Written and performed by HEATHER ALEXANDER.
Directed by DOMINIQUE GERRARD.
A woman must have money and a room of her own
Cambridge University, 1928. Virginia Woolf, the celebrated writer, is abruptly ordered off the grass and refused entry to the library. Her crime? Being a woman. Following this, Woolf interrogates the crushing injustice of women living in1920’s Britain. She slices through notions of gender disparity with an incisive mix of integrity and visceral charm as she forms her ideas about Shakespeare’s Sister, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Aphra Behn among others.
Heather Alexander brings Virginia Woolf’s iconic text to the stage. In this witty, poignant and provocative adaptation, Alexander reminds us that the issues at the heart of A Room of One’s Own remain as relevant today as they were a hundred years ago.
Cambridge University, 1928. Virginia Woolf is abruptly ordered off the grass and refused entry to the library. Her crime? Being a woman. Following this, Woolf interrogates the crushing injustice of women living in1920’s Britain. With an incisive mix of integrity and visceral charm, Woolf forms her ideas about Shakespeare’s Sister, Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Aphra Behn among others.
A beautiful portrayal by an accomplished actor at the top of her game. ★ ★ ★ ★British Theatre Guide
‘Heather Alexander lit up the stage as she portrayed one of the most fearless female writers in history.’
★ ★ ★ ★ BROADWAY BABY
‘A room for the soul, where one can meditate, reflect on contemporary reality, be enchanted by the beauty of prosody, and let oneself go with hope, not only in the future but also in an illustrious past that still lives within us.
Alexander, is a refined, intimate, and literary pleasure. ★ ★ ★ ★ ’NORTH WEST END REVIEW
‘A vital feminist essay brought thrillingly to life.’ ★ ★ ★ ★ THE WEE REVIEW
Refreshingly unsentimental, passionate & utterly absorbing, @HAlexTheatre revels in the complexities & contradictions of Virginia Woolf. Feminism, class & artistic freedom are debated in this brilliantly detailed portrait of a formidable intellect. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ FRINGE BISCUIT
This performance is part of our Members’ 241 Offer. Please ask for details.
Our regular comedy club returns with our Barnstormers host and three comedians from the national circuit.
