It's all Blaize Theatre's fault. They were touring 'New Life'. Written by Maureen Lawrence, the play represented a community's experience of Foot and Mouth Disease and its management explored through the relationship between a farmer, his daughter, a MAFF worker and a local publican. Thoroughly and sensitively researched within rural communities in the north of England, the show was brought into Lancashire for one week in autumn 2002 by the Lancashire Rural Stress Network. They saw the show as a chance to reach out to groups and individuals who may be happy to come along to some entertainment in a pub or auction mart, but may be too proud to admit to needing emotional support:
"I only came because the wife made me, but I did enjoy it"
Local farmer.



Blaize contacted Spot On, who helped with funding and accessing venues for the show. Targeted at communities who had been directly affected by Foot and Mouth, the show was also used to link into other agricultural communities across Lancashire. One pub, two village halls, a theatre and two auction marts later, 'New Life' had been seen by 300 people.
"A painful reminder of difficult times, but thank you for putting our story across"
Audience member.

'New Life' was an opportunity to engage with rural communities and, importantly, to access young people and give them an opportunity to air issues affecting them and their families. This is how we ended up scheming in a cafe. Rural Stress' partner project, Food and Farming Challenge, wanted to do a drama project to run parallel with the Blaize tour. Food and Farming Challenge normally offers hands-on training experience to young people linked to farming and agriculture. This time they wanted to do an arts challenge so Blaize's administrator, Ellen, and I had coffee and cake and scratched our heads.

And so it was that 60 young people from all over rural Lancashire were each challenged to produce a 15-minute piece of theatre exploring and expressing issues of concern to them regarding the countryside.

Six groups got involved, mostly from high schools, and including one from a voluntary youth drama group. They began by attending the Blaize production and a creative writing workshop with playwright Maureen Lawrence. Each group had some money for staging and costumes, and 5 master class sessions with artists from the County to give them some direction. The groups chose from a menu of art forms and Spot On co-ordinated bookings.



Between November 2002 and March 2003 Talia Theatre ran around doing comedy, physical theatre and improvisation with most of the groups (including getting snowed-in on the M65 after the group leader had said " oh, its not too bad up here - you'll be ok"). More Music on Morecambe turned up to do song writing. Blaize stormed into Carnforth and helped with staging. The Dukes Theatre revealed secrets on costume effects, Horse and Bamboo helped out with masked theatre and Ludus Dance ran a series of dance workshops in a school that wanted to combine two drama and dance groups.

They all pulled it off brilliantly and on April 2nd 2003 performed all six pieces to a full house at the Dukes Theatre, Lancaster. Themes covered their perspective on Foot and Mouth, fox hunting, boredom and a tale of a young girl from a rural community struggling to be accepted in an urban school. They threw in masks, smoke machines, contemporary dance, several toy sheep and one pantomime cow. But it wasn't all comedy, and feelings were heartfelt and powerfully presented.

So why do it?
"The project has given me a taste of what performing to a fairly big audience is really like. I now have more confidence and would love to do it again."

The rural touring networks play a vital role in giving rural communities access to high-quality professional theatre. Rural arts events stimulate social capital, support the local economy and offer an opportunity for shared experiences and fun. Beautiful countryside hides poor social resources, and transport systems that stop before many theatre shows begin. Young people in particular suffer isolation - being young in rural Lancashire is to be invisible.

The opportunity to take part in high-quality participatory arts activity on their own doorstep with some of Lancashire's best practitioners was irresistible to all the young people involved.
"I don't know what we'll do with the young people now, next term is going to be really boring!"
school teacher


Following this is difficult…but we have a plan. The theatre tour and the youth art project were supported by the Rural Development Programme's small grants scheme. This gave the project credibility and has helped Spot On secure a further 18 months funding from LEADER + (European Regional Development Fund) and DEFRA (Department of Environment, Farming and Rural Affairs) for the young people to work with Blaize to develop their ideas into a full-length show. They will also be part of the management team, as well as planning the tour and doing the marketing. The show will tour next year, with an exhibition drawn from community workshops in writing and photography. It's still early days, but we hope that the development project will give the young people a real chance to see a rural touring show evolve from idea to production and tour. All that from an idea in a cafe. Whatever next?

Contact: Sue Robinson
Scheme Manager, Spot On,
Lancashire's Rural Touring Network
01254 614965 spot.on@ntlworld.com

www.nrtf.org.uk
Images ©Ken Blackburn