Almost Forgotten 2023 - Summary of Participants’ Evaluations

We asked those who participated in Almost Forgotten for their comments about being involved. This sort of evaluation helps us plan future projects.

Responses were received from 13 cast members.

Question 1: Did you enjoy taking part in Almost Forgotten as part of a larger event (Glow Badbury)?
All 13 respondents answered YES to this question with some extending their response:

The concept of being part of a larger event is great.
Very much!
Very much so!
Yes, absolutely!
I enjoyed this immensely – every aspect.
Yes, with some reservations.
Very much.

Question 2: In what ways? Please indicate positives/negatives
Positives:

Great to see such a diverse cast working together to create something special that was so relevant to the particular site and its history, as well as resonating with the wider world’s present-day troubles. (Director)
Being part of a larger event without overall responsibility for that.
Enjoyed the focus, particularly as not an area of history I knew much about.
Working in a different way from WCT script-led theatre – as an ensemble piece with movement and song.
The organisation of the audience seemed to be well organised.
Haydn’s specialist knowledge and enthusiasm.
Involvement of new members.
We didn’t have to worry about the whole event coming together as such.
The organisers providing a loo and shelter for us.
Being outdoors on site and the link with the full moon.
I always enjoy being part of the WCT group and working on the process by which we arrive at the final production; I found the subject matter interesting; the outcome was a success.
Working in the outdoor environment with a different group of people and overall contributing to a project which, hopefully, inspired young people.
Being part of a larger event.
Enjoyed the focus, particularly as not an area of history I knew.
Great sense of community – all ages. I enjoyed the creative process when we were all co-creating the production. I love acting and singing. Beautiful setting – a wonderful place to perform. Interesting to learn about the Clubmen – I had not heard of them before.
I enjoyed singing; like working with different groups; the performance element; helping to manage it all.
The coming together of our part of the performance.
How everything worked once we had an audience.
Spending time with the other participants.
Seeing/hearing some of the other parts of the project.
I particularly enjoyed: being part of a large group of people all working together to tell the story of a piece of local history; being part of the process from the outset through to the performance; watching the play coming together; the performance being outdoors.
It was good to be working with a group ensemble and being a witness in the creating a performance from scratch, the development of the performance and learning from others in the group, then acting my part within the group. Friendships made.
The sounds and sights.
I really enjoyed Almost Forgotten: the dance we rehearsed; the songs we sang; the acting we performed. It was also great to work with Millstream again – they bring a lot to our joint projects. The performances were electric : the atmosphere at night on Badbury Rings; the audience engagement and enjoyment; the appreciation shown by the audience. The whole project was magic.

Negatives:

On the whole, as a WCT participant I wouldn’t have really known that we were part of a larger project and how it all fitted together. Information at times seemed to be drip fed.
Lack of understanding by and mixed messages from our partners of our needs in relation to the site, particularly in terms of accessibility which could have jeopardised some of our participants.
Not being able to see the whole event during a dress rehearsal or similar may have helped with feeling more fully engaged with the whole project (at least the outcomes of the workshops).
Managing the marketing of tickets was somewhat haphazard and potentially disappointing for our followers.
I felt rather detached from the project as a whole and at times was not sure how I could contribute both on a practical level and creatively. I also struggled with the physical demands of the site.
Nothing negative I can think of.
The weather at times!
I would like to have had time to join in with more of the preparatory workshops and rehearsals, but that was only due to my own personal circumstances and constraints.
Cold night air and remembering to put names to faces.

Question 3: To what extent was developing a historical scene at Badbury Rings a key part in your enjoyment? Why?

It was integral. See no 2! (Director)
Yes, to learn about the history. Enjoyed the site-specificity – working in the
actual place; Being part of the landscape; Site visits at night.
It was a key part of my enjoyment as it brought to life one aspect of how the space was used at a particular point in time for us to interpret.
It was really great having Haydn and Sheila on board who were so willing to share their knowledge and actively participate in the creative process, understanding that that’s exactly what the piece was – a creative interpretation.
Definitely added to the enjoyment. I liked Haydn and Sheila’s enthusiasm for the subject; it felt special to be on the site where the events took place; I enjoyed finding out more about an ‘almost forgotten’ piece of local history.
Yes, because I didn’t know about the history. Enjoyed the site specificity – working in the actual place. Being part of the landscape.
Badbury Rings has been a part of my life since I was a little toddler! I’ve often walked there and I find it has a very healing energy. It felt good to honour the space with all the creative offerings of Glow Badbury.
I also think it is good that the voices of the Clubmen were heard again. They must have been very brave people to stand up for their rights against the armies, and it is something that we should remember.
To a large extent – great having Haydn as our resident specialist; interested in what happened on The Rings
Putting the play on at Badbury Rings put the story in context and really added to the performance. To tell this episode in the history of the Dorset Clubmen at the place where it actually happened was perfect.
The historical part in my enjoyment was off the scale. To see The Clubmen represented as a performance at this Glow Badbury event, and creating more awareness of this gathering of 1645 was something quite special. On a historical note, this group of people caught in the 17th Century Civil Wars are very rarely talked of. This event and performance put the Clubmen centre stage for a spell in being a part of Glow Badbury.
Yes, indeed.

Question 4: To what extent did you enjoy working in collaboration with Millstream and the Choir?

I think the collaboration was very significant. (Director)
Very much. The collaboration brings people together through a creative focus with a common goal – a good way to form a social group.
I’m not sure how much we collaborated really – I was conscious that this was Millstream’s project and we were there to support them. I felt there was a lot of time spent and repetition in the creative development of the project and I wasn’t really being tolerant enough of the need for this. The choir were a lovely group of people who added considerably to the success of the piece and it was good to have them with us. Good to sing along with them too (however badly!).
Very much. The collaboration brings people together using a creative focus with a common goal.
I was also part of the choir. I find Karen’s work very inspiring, and she is a great teacher. I think the music really adds to WCT productions.
It was great fun working with Millstream. I think they add a fun, younger energy to the group and create a lot of laughter. I believe it’s very important that we are inclusive.
Very much – good to pair up with Shaine; Karen is so positive with the choir.
It was a real pleasure working with everyone involved in the production, all of whom brought different skills to the production. I learnt a lot.
Thoroughly enjoyed working with WCT and Millstream, and an education personally. A first in acting for myself.
I did enjoy being able to be part of the ensemble as well as the choir. As well as the creative process for original work and learning the resultant songs. I think that choir members might find it helpful to understand at an earlier stage, if possible, whether they are going to be integrated in the piece or stand-alone creating singing/sound.

Question 5: What were the most difficult or challenging aspects of the project for you?

Having to condense so much history into a 10-minute slot (in the end this was a good part of the challenge for me. We made it work and there was no slack in the production).
Hot weather making people feel droopy in early rehearsals; wet weather making us change rehearsal venues later.
Finding the right form for our ensemble piece.
Making the movement sequences feel and look convincing.
Getting people through the challenges without being overbearing.
When we were told we had to go through a series of challenges regarding the access route – which was then reversed.
Not being able to watch the other participants in different parts of Badbury Rings. (Director)
Not seeing the whole piece.
Communication with NT regarding access – having arranged a procedure with
David Farthing, this was overruled by NT hierarchy which caused unnecessary concern and stress with members who needed to park vehicles in the place we’d arranged.
The idea of someone walking in front of the vehicle was quite unreasonable and fortunately was overruled. This approach is the opposite of ‘can do’ and usually comes from people who haven’t experience of working closely with communities.
The time it takes to develop the creative side of the project – even though ‘only’ a 10-minute piece it gets pressured in the way a longer piece would – to ensure the material is appropriate and ready for rehearsal, and the artists have dates booked for meeting or workshops appropriately to input to the developing material.
Physically arduous for me with problems with my knee although this improved over the time we worked on the project. It didn’t help my mood and I’m sorry if I seemed grumpy or negative at times.
Learning the words of the songs! There seemed to be a lot of rehearsals for a very short production – and a lot of hanging around – but probably unavoidable with this cast.
Getting to and from the site – especially with stuff.
I can’t really say I found anything difficult.
When several members of the group try to direct!
Not clearly understanding until the first performance what exactly we were doing and how everything would work and how we were only part of the whole event (unlike last time).
This will have been partly because we were unable to have the dress rehearsal on site.I don’t have anything negative to say about the experience, or any constructive criticism.
No negatives or difficulty. All good!

Any other comments?

Emerald Ant and the National Trust proved to be good collaborators/partners, in spite of miscommunication about the accessible parking.
The NT rangers cut the grass on the site to our specifications.
It was great to have younger members in the cast – they provided an energy and commitment that spread to everyone.
Having (Haydn & Sheila), the experts into clubmen history, in the particular history proved an excellent addition – they were always positive and proved strong performers too.
Will was a great asset to me. He was very supportive and creative as well as good at solving practical challenges and motivating everybody with his enthusiasm. (Director)
Overall, it was a worthwhile project and good for WCT to be included in a large-scale Arts event.
Good luck to you for future projects.
Looking forward to the next one! And pleased that we have social events in between as it’s nice to keep in touch with everyone.
Think it went well and it was good to be part of a bigger whole. Hope we get the film soon to arrange a reunion.
I would be interested in participating in a future project with WCT.
Thank you so much for letting me join the ensemble. Everyone was so welcoming. It was a genuinely joyful experience for me.
Just a thank you for welcoming me into the group. Been a joy.
I think this was community theatre at its inclusive best practice.
Well done to everyone.
A thought came to my mind about the people who came from Lynn Davy’s choir and didn’t return. I wonder whether, in future, if we do attract singers who come along to an initial session, say with Karen that they then don’t come along to early rehearsals when the devising is happening unless Karen is present, unless they want to. But they need to commit to coming to Karen singing rehearsals even if they are part of a wider rehearsal. In this way, they might not get spooked by the apparent ‘chaos’ and run for the hills. And then may come back to future productions, particularly if they are local.

Additional comments received from audience members

You should all be congratulated on a magical production! I thought it was a really lovely blend. Well done all! DS
Really interesting evening. So much hard work had gone into it all. Well done. BB
It was wonderful, particularly on the first night when the full moon rose behind you right on cue! LD
What a lovely evening. Well done, WCT, so atmospheric, the violinist scene was ethereal. RD
Thanks for a memorable evening at Badbury. Well done. WCT. Even the moon contributed to the atmosphere. SD