Another full house!
We had another full house for Sylvia at the Cheviot Centre after our performance at nearby Yetholm and a half page on the play in the Berwick Advertiser.
We had taken a little time out earlier in the day, driving round the southeast corner of Scotland before heading back over the border to Wooler. It was a beautiful day, as you can see, and we sat outside for a cup of tea and cake from the café at the Harestanes arts and crafts centre. The craft workshops were not open at this time of year.
From what we could see, Wooler itself was a town just like small towns used to be, including butchers, bakers, a ‘creatives shop’, a couple of bookshops, and so on. The antiques shop did not allow celebrities or people from TV companies inside!
Jackie had a severe back problem when we arrived – and Rachel Sinton, the administrator at the Cheviot Centre was worried that she would not be able to perform. Fortunately, there is a healing centre on site, and Jean Watson gave emergency therapy with such success that none of the audience were aware that there was a problem.
Despite the performance and the long drive down to Wolverhampton, that particular problem has not come back. Many thanks to Jean for her help!
Once again, as in Yetholm, Dinah Iredale, expert on the women agricultural workers of the Borders painted by Sylvia Pankhurst, joined us for a talk after the performance.
The previous evening, Dinah’s niece, Alysoun Sharpe, had the premiere of her new film about Josephine Butler, Night of Years, at the Cheviot Centre as part of International Women's Day celebrations. Look out for further screenings of that too, or contact Shadowcat Films.
