Riotous Living • Kingston Lacy, Wimborne (1992)
In 1830, the conditions of poverty were severe in rural Dorset. Wages were at their lowest and villagers were struggling in the fields, trying to cope with the newly installed threshing machines. A group of Travelling Players arrived at Kingston Lacy house, bringing rumours that the infamous ‘Captain Swing’ had been seen in the locality, sparking off rioting and burning.
Meanwhile, at Kingston Hall, owner William John Bankes prepares to go off traveling abroad, in search of more exotic treasures to bring home for the Hall.
The play is a fictionalized account of the confrontations which took place between the gentry and the land workers, and particularly what happened late one summer evening in 1830 when Lady Despencer crossed the ‘ha ha’ to a world she had only seen in idealized paintings of rural life.
About the production
The play was a mixture of scripted and improvised drama devised and written by Tony Horitz, Gill Horitz, Sharon Sims and students from the participating schools and Wimborne Community Theatre.
Video
Video extracts from the play with informal behind-the-scenes footage before and after the performance, including work on the outdoor sculptures and costumes, the cast relaxing and notes from Tony Horitz, the artistic director.
Programme
Evaluation
A report evaluating the project: On a cross-arts initiative involving the local community. Photos by Paul Allen and Colin Hoare.
Press
Schools
Children from St Mary’s First School showed their appreciation of being involved in the production with drawings of the agricultural workers of the time and the threshing machines which changed their lives.
