North Devon Coast and Country Chronicle: Local Play with National Significance

Monday 1 December 2014

Local Play with National Significance - The Common Hopes to Hit the Road

"An inspiringly insightful piece of contemporary theatre with important messages for our collective future – we ARE the land" ... Positive response to Beaford Arts' The Common might just get this show on the road. After two sellout performances of this series of dramatic dialogues about our relationship with the local environment, Beaford Arts hopes to take The Common on a national tour. Lucy Deasy, General Manager of Beaford Arts, says "Our objective as the cultural partner of the North Devon Nature Improvement Area (NIA) was to create a piece about the value of the land. Our mission was to engage with two local communities, work within them, engage them and produce a show that would resonate with the varied audience within those communities."

Feedback from those who saw the shows in Dolton and Hatherleigh, where The Common was researched, developed and performed, certainly seems to indicate success "It was a triumph. Full of admiration for the performers. Very moving and you got the Devon nuances." Others wanted to share the love @ruthresearch tweeted "A lovely evening in the company of @beaford & @YourOldChina last night, do hope there is a longer life for #TheCommon" and another comment simply says " Brill! Sock it to Whitehall". Producer, Fin Irwin worked with theatre company China Plate to create the show " It has been a pleasure to work on a project that has had such a high and diverse level of engagement. From the environmentalists to the local farmer and the pub landlord, everyone has had a story to tell and has been keen to tell it. The positive response from the participants and audience alike was overwhelming and proved that this project will create a lasting legacy in the memories of those who saw it." This is a local production with national significance. The rural issues explored in The Common are relevant to communities nationwide and Beaford Arts hopes to roll the show out to the other eleven Nature Improvement Areas around the country "Our future goal is to tour the play to other NIAs, Westminster and maybe beyond." says Lucy Deasy.