An original comedy-drama by Kate Bramley (ex-Hull Truck Theatre) with music by (SONY Radio Academy Award Winner) Jez Lowe.
Badapple Theatre’s THE THANKFUL VILLAGE shows clearly what this Yorkshire-based company has learned, after spending a fruitful decade honing their skills in presenting original and inspirational theatre in a small-scale, yet impressive and stimulating style.
Away from the horrors and deathly din of the trenches, the women of a rural English community face the prospect of being left behind, to cope as their men-folk march off to Flanders. Each one faces up to the challenges in her own way, with resilience, humour, a sense of duty and whatever vestiges of hope she can muster, as the years pass by and they wait anxiously for news of their loved ones far away. They cannot know that their village will end the war as one of a very few similar communities, for which fate has reserved a special place in history.
Performed here in a relaxed reading from home by Frances Tither, Zoe Land and Sarah Raine.
Zoë is originally from Pendle in East Lancashire but is lucky to be locked down and recording from Nice, France. Sarah originally hails from Doncaster, South Yorkshire but 7 years ago made the move to the "wrong" side of the Pennines and so is recording in the suburbs of Greater Manchester. Fran is currently broadcasting from her hometown of Warrington, Cheshire.
It is worth noting that in the original theatre presentations a striking visual contrast was drawn as the actresses also played the 'men' who were away, and sang the original songs designed by Jez Lowe as a vehicle to display the journey of the soldiers in the trenches. We include Jez's original recordings here but also a photograph of the actresses on tour below. Enjoy!
Episodes edited by Annabelle Polito and Kate Bramley.