What They Left Behind • Wimborne town centre (2016)

Early Development of the Project

Workshops

In 2014 and 2015, we ran a series of workshops (funded by East Dorset District Council), using improvisation, movement and role-play to turn documented stories about World War One and its long legacy into theatre.  This was the first stage in creating  a new site-specific production in Wimborne.

World War One Sound Workshop • 2015
Using Text to Create Sound and Record Voice

Listen to a collage of devised sounds created at a workshop led by Sound Artist, Adrian Newton.
A fun and experimental workshop on 15th January 2015, led by Adrian, involved improvisation and recording of texts.  We improvised sounds and words selected from research materials gathered by WCT about World War One in Wimborne.  We recorded our interpretations using new Miinirig portable speakers recently purchased with a grant from East Dorset District Council.

This was the last session in WCT’s Autumn/Winter Programme, a series of sessions led by practitioners, Roz Conlon (Dance/Movement held in Wimborne Minster’s Crypt) and Karen Wimhurst (music/song).  Each session explored WCT’s research material about World War One through different creative forms.

---

Photos of the movement/Dance workshop led by Roz Conlon

View on Flickr

8 photos

---

A group of third year students from the AUB BA Costume and Performance Design course again joined the WCT team as part of their professional practice, to design and make costumes, design settings and props, and create the installations for Things They Left Behind  in a number of town centre independent shops.

The design sketches for the cart used in the opening scene of the production

Course leader, Adele Keeley, says: The BA (Hons) Costume and Performance Design students thrive from live collaboration. Students love putting into practice the skills they have learnt on the course and showcasing their creativity. Working in a professional environment helps them to be inspired and inspire others. On the course we call it ‘Doing it for Real’ as students get to experience the reality of putting on a production and working together with professionals.

Student, Daisy Orrell:  As a re-enactor, I am very passionate about history and bringing it to life. I am very excited to be part of the team working on What They Left Behind, and I hope I will be able to learn a lot from such a wonderful experience.

Eleanor Watson It is very interesting working with Wimborne Community Theatre learning more about the town and the local history. I’m very excited to see where this outdoor performance leads!

Carol Childs  I’m looking forward to working on this community project, and being part of a creative team. Wimborne is such a beautiful town, I can’t wait to bring a part of its history to life.

Lauren Summers I’m really looking forwards to working with such a lovely team in a project that is so personal to Wimborne. History is a great interest of mine and I’m very excited to see it acted out.

Simone Orme I’m currently a member of Poole Harbour Canoe Club at riverside, Wimborne and have become interested in the beautiful town! I’m excited about learning more about the area and being a part of an amazing project!

Photos of the costume team at work

As advance publicity for the production, members of the cast in full costume walked around Wimborne on several occasions in the weeks leading up to the performances.  Mr and Mrs Coles from the ironmonger’s shop, Fred and Bessie Angell and Lady Cordelia Hanham could all be seen chatting to visitors to the Italian Market in the town square on Friday May 6th.  And Gertrude Coggin brought her bike with her!

The past met the present when the current Lady Ali Hanham and Lady Cordelia from the production met by chance in the cafe at Dean’s Court.

Photos of the cast on their walkabouts.

View on Flickr

13 photos

More photos on Flickr

The art installations for Things They Left Behind were created by a group of third year students from the Arts University Bournemouth BA Costume and Performance Design course, who joined the WCT team as part of their professional practice, to design and make costumes, settings and props.

Things They Left Behind was an exhibition of Art Works inspired by the play’s themes.  The artworks, created by the AUB students as a prelude to the performances, were to be seen in various locations in the town centre, including independent shops.  They were installed in Keatings, the Butcher’s, John the Fish, Black Pug Books, Spill The Beans and the window of the Priest’s House Museum.

Photos of the installations

View on Flickr

13 photos

More photos on Flickr

Design sketches by AUB student for an installation

View on Flickr

2 photos

Recipe cards from World War One from the Win-the-War Cookery Book displayed with the installations

View on Flickr

4 photos

Sound Installation

In addition, a sound installation by Adrian Newton entitled Anthem for Old Road, was to be found in the garden of a house in Old Road, Wimborne.

Listen to the installation recording

Read Gill Horitz’s Poem, Anthem for Old Road

Art Exhibition

An Exhibition, The Death Penny and other Memories of the Great War by Minna’s Artists was also mounted at Allendale House, Wimborne.

Minna’s Artists is a local group of artists, run by Minna Harvey, who usually work in response to a common theme, place or project.  In September 2014 they worked on ideas about the Great War and this collection of their work arose from drawings made on visits to Witchampton, Shapwick and Wimborne cenotaphs as well as the Priest’s House Museum in Wimborne and the Tank Museum in Bovington.

Over one hundred people attended the successful Dada Garden event on Sunday, April 24th 2016 at Priest’s House Museum Garden and Hilda Coles Centre.

Celebrating a centenary of Dada in a garden setting, with performances of improvised and experimental music, experimental video, dada manifestations and things left behind, one of a series of installations planned around Wimborne as a prelude to ‘What They Left Behind’, Wimborne Community Theatre’s latest production.

The programme of events and artists

View on Flickr

1 photo

Artists featured were Gerauschhersteller, Nemeton, Matthew Shaw, Dead Sea Liner, Language Timothy!, Tom Daniel-Moon, Earhoof, Jack Chuter, Jason Hazael, David Rogers and more.

http://nemeton.org.uk/other/wimborne-contemporary-arts/

From the Dada Manifesto (1916, Hugo Ball):
Dada is a new tendency in art. One can tell this from the fact that until now nobody knew anything about it, and tomorrow everyone in Zurich will be talking about it. Dada comes from the dictionary. It is terribly simple. In French it means “hobby horse”. In German it means “good-bye”, “Get off my back”, “Be seeing you sometime”. In Romanian: “Yes, indeed, you are right, that’s it. But of course, yes, definitely, right”. And so forth.

An International word. Just a word, and the word a movement. Very easy to understand. Quite terribly simple. To make of it an artistic tendency must mean that one is anticipating complications. Dada psychology, dada Germany cum indigestion and fog paroxysm, dada literature, dada bourgeoisie, and yourselves, honoured poets, who are always writing with words but never writing the word itself, who are always writing around the actual point. Dada world war without end, dada revolution without beginning, dada, you friends and also-poets, esteemed sirs, manufacturers, and evangelists. Dada Tzara, dada Huelsenbeck, dada m’dada, dada m’dada dada mhm, dada dera dada, dada Hue, dada Tza.

How does one achieve eternal bliss? By saying dada. How does one become famous? By saying dada. With a noble gesture and delicate propriety. Till one goes crazy. Till one loses consciousness. How can one get rid of everything that smacks of journalism, worms, everything nice and right, blinkered, moralistic, europeanised, enervated? By saying dada. Dada is the world soul, dada is the pawnshop. Dada is the world’s best lily-milk soap. Dada Mr Rubiner, dada Mr Korrodi. Dada Mr Anastasius Lilienstein. In plain language: the hospitality of the Swiss is something to be profoundly appreciated. And in questions of aesthetics the key is quality.

Dada is the heart of words. Each thing has its word, but the word has become a thing by itself. Why shouldn’t I find it? Why can’t a tree be called Pluplusch, and Pluplubasch when it has been raining? The word, the word, the word outside your domain, your stuffiness, this laughable impotence, your stupendous smugness, outside all the parrotry of your self-evident limitedness. The word, gentlemen, is a public concern of the first importance.