The Cornish Studies Library in Redruth now has our Perthi Kov Exhibition of the people we researched for ‘Until the Day Break’, all put together by Lesley Trotter and me and designed by Anna Oliver. It looks good in this venue! If you are local, go in and have a look. If you are from somewhere else in the world, please click on the photo to be able to read about our fascinating characters.
Notice
The Harvey children and Captain Charles Frederick Bishop
Eight of our characters
Bees and butterflies are enjoying our Agapanthus flowers as are we.
We have been working in the garden all day and my camera has been left untouched but the garden looks a lot better – hedges trimmed, slabs swept, last pots planted up and rubbish all taken to the dump. Instead of my photos, here today is the article that appeared in the May edition of Cornwall Today about our production ‘Until the Day Break’. Click on any photo to make the writing clearer.
I had a brainwave today about where to put our light-balls.
Light balls on white tree
I made a Coffee and Pecan Cake for our Perthi Kov reunion today, the plan being to have tea and cake and to share ideas about the whole experience.
Coffee and Pecan Cake
St Euny Church was buzzing again this afternoon as people met friends, old and newly made during the production, and shared reminiscences. Click on any photo for a larger version. One of the gang has made a beautiful Memory book which has inspired others to do the same.
The Swindells sisters listening to the recording
Enjoying the afternoon
Old friends
Sharing memories
Listening to stories
Sue, explaining the new offers we have had for future productions…..
My walk today took me on a different route where there was a whole hedge of Everlasting Sweet Peas. They look gorgeous but sadly have no perfume.
I loved this little bird house in a garden along the lane.
Bees could be heard all along the way and I caught this one busily collecting nectar.
Today I have had a really lovely job, collating all the wonderful comments sent in about our event, Until the Day Break, set in St Euny Churchyard. The only complaint was that we had sold out and someone couldn’t get tickets! I’ll share some of them with you later. Click on the red link to see some photos of the event.
What a night! One hundred and fifty people have given their all to make this production a roaring success! Everybody has loved it – the wonderful volunteers who have made the whole thing magical and have relished being involved and audiences who have loved the emotional journey they have been taken on while learning about their local history. Here are a few photos of the finale that involved every cast member. Thank you, all of you!
And what made today even more special? Our eldest daughter came to see it, this afternoon and was blown away by it all and told me, with a big hug, how proud she is of me! That was really something as I’m sure you will understand.
We went to one of the matinee performances this afternoon as audience and loved it! I was moved to tears by the beautiful performances more than once. To hear my research come to life in a character telling the story was quite overwhelming. The Cuban Nanny played by Misri Dey could not have been better imagined or played and my story of Mary Angove Gill was beautifully portrayed by Mandy Rolleston who brought Mary to life just as I had imagined. The whole performance was wonderful, truly a celebration of lives lived, and I give you here the whole event in pictures.Click on any photo for detail and the caption.
Misri as Maria, our Guide
Sophie Everett played by Gail
Singing Black and Gold
Mary Angove Gill leaving the audience
Children playing
The Swindells Sisters
Singing March of the Women
Dmitri Nabokov played by Terry Hedges with compassion. made me cry.
Singing Carn Brea Lullaby, words by Avril Nicholls and music composed by Claire Ingleheart
Singing this morning with The Suitcases overlooking The Penryn River was, as always, beautiful.
First night went brilliantly. Here are some photos from the preparation but then it was all on, singing our songs four times as each group of visitors, 30 mins apart, went on this glorious story walk around St Euny Graveyard. Click on any photo for more detail.
We found some beautiful tulips on the table when we arrived in the kitchen this morning, left by our lovely daughter to wish me the best for this evening’s Preview performance. They are purple and white with green leaves – just perfect! Keen eyed readers may notice that I bought that beautiful Kingfisher tea-set that I was ogling in the antique shop!
In the performances of ‘Until the Day Break’ I am singing ‘March of the Women’ with nine others and it is just brilliant! I have a facsimile Suffragette sash given to me years ago by my Mum but don’t want to risk the silk in the rain so today I went to one of my favourite shops and bought ribbons and this afternoon, I stitched up a sash.
The song was written by Ethel Smyth and was sung in Holloway by the imprisoned suffragettes, conducted by Emmeline Pankhurst through the bars of her prison cell using a toothbrush as her baton. I like to think that my Great Granny, Annie Wiseman, who was also imprisoned in Holloway for her part in the movement, was there at that moment and was singing March of the Women. I am singing it in the show with the passion that she must also have had and I can feel her pride.
The Preview performance went very well. Everybody loved it! The first night is on Thursday.
I am so proud! As I walked into St Euny Church today for the tech run of our show, ‘Until the Day Break’, I couldn’t quite believe the efforts everyone had gone to to source their own costumes and to become the ‘residents’. The Church was full of characters from the graveyard, from all eras and just looking the part. It quite took my breath away and I thank them all from the bottom of my heart! And – it rained all afternoon and still they sang and acted and guided and directed and brought the idea to life – what a crew! Thank you so very much, all of you. I am over-filled with happiness and gratitude. Please click on any photo to get a glimpse of how amazing our production is going to be and if you live locally, book your tickets for your story walk soon – we are selling out!
Lesley with Mandy who is playing Mary Angove Gill whose story I researched and wrote
I was in the Cornish Studies Library again today and thought that you might like to see another of the Tregellas tapestries, this one of some Cornish Festivals including Padstow’s Obby Oss which I wrote about recently. Others of the remarkable tapestries can be seen here and here.
Traditional Festivals
We have been delivering flyers to advertise the show, Until the Day Break, today. A face gate made me smile so here it is for you.
Lots of teeth and gold hair!
I went to Daisy Rain Vintage to find accessories for my costume for the show. No luck, sadly but I did find this delightful hat in a shop further down the hill.
