Sue, my lovely neighbour, and I have been to a local history society this evening to talk about our project, Until the Day Break, which was performed in St Euny Churchyard in 2017. You can check out the project and the stories on our website
.This advice came my way today. Sounds good if I can stick to it. 
Tag Archives: Until the Day Break
Perthi Kov and Habits
Mining Memorial Sunday and A Cosy Afternoon
We didn’t do the Pilgrimage from Wheal Bassett Stamp House to Wheal Euny and down to the Church but waited in the mizzle at St Euny Church for the singers and walkers. The rain was such that the rest of the event, some scheduled for outdoors, was all moved into the Church. Mining Memorial Sunday is to recognise the history and the importance of our town and surrounding areas in the mining of tin and copper and to give thanks. Perthi Kov, our small theatre company who put together ‘Until the Day Break’ (lots of information elsewhere in my blog) were asked if any of our characters would like to reprise their story telling to help bring the history alive. Three of those stories which involved miners taking their skills abroad were retold and were very well received: Mary Angove Gill whose story I researched and wrote, J W Goldsworthy, whose story I researched and a colleague wrote and Catherine Tonkin Burrowes and one of our singers reprised the final song which the congregation joined in with. It was a very moving service followed by Cornish Pasties and a Cream Tea!
Jeannette, Mandy, Florence and Keith
We liked the final hymn which we hadn’t heard before, the last verse in Cornish being sung with particular gusto!
The final hymn
After getting thoroughly wet, though not as wet as the walkers, and then chilled in the Church, we have spent the afternoon cosied up in the sitting room, stuck into our books. I am re-reading The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley – just as good this time around.
Exhibition, Bee and Butterfly
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.
Honey bee on Agapanthus
Large White butterfly on Agapanthus
Agapanthus with Crocosmia
Light Tree, Cake and Perthi Kov Reunion
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…..
Explaining his part to the adults
New ideas being discussed
Serious discussion re interviewing techniques
We did enjoy ourselves!
Friends with flowers
Everlasting Sweet Peas, Bird House and Bee
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.
Last Night and Finale
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.
Until the Day Break in Performance
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
Arminel. played by the wonderful Becca Hulbert
Showing the photos
In reflective mood
Maria and Agnes Knights
Singing The May Carol
Singing The Lark
Granny Catherine and her Saffron buns
Misri, our Guide handing out the Saffron buns
Benny
Peter Renfree and his conscience
The Soldiers
Singing One and All
The Dust Girls’ blanket
The Dust girls
The Children
St Clement’s cake for tea in the Church
Heart Scones made by Ti for a cream tea
Penryn, Preparations and First Night
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.
Misri as Maria, our Guide
The Soldiers and pals
Warm up
Katie doing her daughter’s hair
Warm-up
Claire leading the warm-up
Tulips, Sash and Preview Performance
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.
Some actors before the show
Posters, Patterns and Bedtime
This afternoon we have put up the exhibition posters in the Church and put the Memory Boxes on the window sills where they look lovely.
LiveWire No 4 is here overnight en route to the Isles of Scilly. She knows where all the toys are kept, first played with the tessellation pieces and then made sure all the soft toys were ready in her bed for later.
Cloth Kitty, A Wild Thing and teddies
Making patterns, “By myself!”
