About+The+Project

A community play is a way of bringing together a whole community in a shared celebration of something special and unique about their area. This project offered opportunities for a wide range of participatory activities for people of all ages and abilities to work alongside professional artists and heritage experts.

The Weardale community play project was inspired by the true story of ‘The Battle of Stanhope’, a lead-miners' uprising immortalised in the local song “The Bonny Moorhen”. Working with an award-winning playwright and members of the community we planned to create a large-scale production of "The Bonny Moorhen" to be performed at the end of March 2012.

We had many partners including Durham County Council and in particular worked closely with local museums and archives. Our learners and team of artists were able to access important historical documents at Durham County Record Office which helped them put together a rich picture of the story and of life in 1818.[| Click here to read the story.]

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