Common Players awarded Heritage Lottery and Making It Local funding to stage a summer tour in East Devon

Common Players have developed a particular expertise in devising and delivering environmental performance projects for specific locations. Inspired by a desire to help people make real connections with the world about them, these events range from collaborations with The National Trust with whom we created Keep Off The Path, to a commission from the National Youth Arts Festival to create an environmental performance in the North Devon seaside town of Ilfracombe.

Smuggler’s Gold! is a piece of environmental theatre written by Creative Associate Jon Croose, based on research in collaboration with East Devon Countryside Service, the Geological Society, Devon Libraries, Devon Museums, Devon and Dorset Wildlife Trusts, the Undercliffs National Nature Reserve, the National Trust, Natural England, Lyme Regis Museum, Seaton Museum and Dorset County Archaeology, and grass-roots contributions by local people including fishermen, historians, geologists and anthropologists.

We are pleased to announce the successful award of almost £40,000  to Common Players to stage the Smuggler's Gold Jurassic Coast Heritage Touring Project across East Devon in July and August 2011.  We are working in conjunction with our partners East Devon Museums to create an exciting and innovative theatrical experience, which we hope will bring the unique heritage of the East Devon Jurassic coast alive.

Apart from enjoying a show, which promises a lively mixture of music and drama, each member of the audience will be given a Smuggler’s Gold passport!  This will contain details of a competition with prizes and will outline a treasure trail to the museums of East Devon where answers to the questions in the passport will be found.

The show is centred around the character of Bill Widger who is refusing to leave his East Devon cliff-top cottage, which is falling into the sea because of erosion. In a style similar to Dickens’ A Christmas Carol, night-time visitors take Bill on a farewell trip through time to explore the ancient Jurassic Coast landscape, stories of historic fishing fleets, and the Great Landslip of 1839.

But, the cliff could collapse at any minute.

Will Bill find the smugglers' gold hidden in his garden before it is too late.......?

Common Players’ lead artist JON CROOSE, with Director Tony Lidington, is assembling the cast of four actors. Time is tight, but we are assembling a strong ensemble!  Watch out here for details of performances and venues.
Or, if you would like to bring the show to your village, contact our administrator Gill on 01822 612449 to see if we can give you a date? 
Because we have secured HLF and MiL funding, we can offer the show free of charge!       

The Walrus and the Carpenter is a full length play to be written as a companion piece to Mother Country, produced and toured by The Common Players in 2000.

• Would weave the same mixture of clowning, folk story and legend, and archetypal personae.

• Target showcase performances, Autumn 2011.

• Touring, subject to finance, Spring 2012