Live locally to Portchester? Interested in getting involved in a drama project taking place this August which explores the history of Portchester Castle?
This summer National Youth Theatre is staging a new play called The Ancestors at Portchester Castle, as part of Freedom and Revolution, a collaboration with English Heritage’s Shout Out Loud Programme and University of Warwick. Through this play, written by Lakesha Arie-Angelo, we will be exploring the stories and voices of Black revolutionaries held at the castle in the late 1700s.
We are currently looking for local people to join a community chorus to join the project. Our community chorus will be help to bring this story to life, by taking part in workshops with National Youth Theatre and working with us to produce creative work exploring your own connection to the local area and your personal history.
You should be….
- Local to the area - maybe you live in Portchester itself, or the wider Fareham, Portsmouth or Gosport Area
- Over 14 years old
- Interested in drama or in exploring the heritage of the Castle
- Someone who enjoys being creative and working with others
No drama experience is necessary and anyone can apply! We are particularly interested in hearing from Black young people who would like to take part in the project.
Dates and details
You would need to be available during ad hoc days during w/c 2nd August and w/c 9th of August to take part in creative workshops during which you will work with National Youth Theatre creatives to unlock and explore your local and personal heritage and relationship with the local community.
We will be working towards recording sound pieces which capture these explorations and testimonies. These recordings will then form part of the wider production with a selection being showcased onsite and online.
- Exact date workshops and timings TBC.
- Workshops are likely to take place online.
More on the project
The Ancestors
Written by Lakesha Arie-Angelo
Directed by Jade Lewis
A clique of Caribbean maroon warrior women, a general of Haiti and his right hand man, an ex enslaved couple reclaiming their land, a group of Black French Caribbean soldiers held captive in Portchester and their wives travelling across the Atlantic to be reunited with them. These are The Ancestors- manifesting in our world, in the hopes we can stop history repeating itself, but do we really hold the key? What dark forces are still currently at play?
A site-specific piece that explores the grounds of Portchester Castle and the voices of Black revolutionaries that history has continued to silence, until now