My irregular countryside diaries have taken a back seat during October and November. Most creative time has been taken up with producing and reading for Murder They Write, which has turned out to be the Border Readers most successful tour to date. Here are some of the highlights of that extended road trip…
Working in pairs or as a trio we actor/readers played an eclectic mix of 14 community and cultural venues across the borderlands, all with their own distinctive character and atmosphere. This particular set of crime stories from our writer friends and fellow northerners, Ann Cleeves, Martin Edwards & Cath Staincliffe – with their distinctive styles and settings – proved to be a compelling line up, holding our listeners attention from start to finish.
Elsdon, a new venue for us, whose Grade II listed parish church of St. Cuthbert’s emerged as a canny place for this kind of event. Hosted by the local writers group, the part of the medieval building we played in had a super acoustic, enhanced by new wooden flooring and comfortable soft furnishings, donated by a local company. The inconvenience of, er, no conveniences and no heating were overcome by everyone dressing up warmly and being prepared to venture across the village green to the public loos during the intervals.
Another new venue was the village institute at Wingates, between Morpeth and Rothbury. Only 92 souls on the parish register and we had nearly a quarter of that number present that Thursday night in October, just as Storm Babet was gearing up to wreck havoc on the region. Lovely warm welcoming audience though, and a beautifully cared for community venue, dating from 1914.
Next night (Fri 20 Oct) the deepening bad weather got the better of us. Constant downpours had caused local streams to burst their banks. Three times on the journey from home we had to turn back on minor cross-country lanes due to severe flooding. Abandoned vehicles at flash points, emergency vehicles with blue lights flashing, speeding past us. Eventually, by sticking to main roads and doing the extra mileage, we finally arrived at Wallington. We were due to read in the great hall, with the iconic Victorian murals depicting scenes from Northumberland rich history as background. However, the National Trust staff and ourselves had an emergency parley and reluctantly decided to cancel. Although our team had made it through it was clear most of our 45 strong audience booked would not be able to. There were also doubts about us all getting back to our respective homes afterwards, given the way things were going, so it really was the right decision. We will be co-ordinating with NT colleagues to reschedule for next spring.
Other tour highlights included a post Covid reunion with dear old friends and comrades in arms from Lancaster days. Returning to read with Sue McCormick for instance, in the cosy setting of the Studio at Dumfries Theatre Royal with another responsive full house. This particular visit enhanced by lunch and a private tour of the fascinating Robert Burns museum in his favourite pub nearby – The Globe Inn – recently restored and enhanced by its proud new owners.
Another new venue was in the Lake District – one I’ve been keen to add to the circuit for some time – Staveley Roundhouse. Helen Longworth and Roberta Kerr my old pals here (above) and the full house proved itself a fabulous audience of active listeners. Kim and I stopped over in the local pub’s B&B which allowed us the rare pleasure of an enjoyable post show drink in the bar of the Eagle & Child, with the company.
Thinking of pubs…The Pheasant Inn at Cumwhitton near Brampton in Cumberland is very much the social hub of its rural community and the enterprising couple who own and run the place – Peter and Kate – took a punt on us last year with our ‘Haunted’ ghost story programme and as a result we virtually doubled audience numbers this time around. Many folk enjoyed a lovely meal in the bar beforehand. A convivial packed gathering in the upstairs events room clearly enjoyed a memorable occasion.
This was also the night well known Cumbrian based actor Peter Macqueen made his debut as our guest reader. This being the only night of the tour I wasn’t reading, it gave a welcome chance for me as producer to step back to experience and reflect on the event as a whole.
Finishing our tour at Humshaugh village hall on home turf in the north Tyne, guests of the Humshaugh Arts Programme (HAP) felt only right and proper. The core company of readers – Janine, Grace, Wynne and myself, along with Kim as assistant stage manager – gathered at the end for a group shot. Clearly de-mob happy we went on for a farewell drink up the road at Humshaugh’s community owned pub, The Crown.
We introduced a couple of simple technical innovations during the course of this tour. One was the abandonment of reader’s mini-spotlights in favour of individual LED file clip-on lights, powered by rechargeable batteries. This aspect of technology has come on leaps and bounds since I first started producing readings of ghost story readings for demi-paradise at Lancaster castle in 2008. I also tracked down a taller more focused and adjustable standard lamp to replace our former model. We still needed a bit more height for reader comfort so our handyman mate and rural neighbour Dave Oakes fashioned us a sturdy wooden base which also doubles as a carrier for an extension cable and other items.
In the wake of this production I’ve already selected fiction for next year’s tour, which will be based on a different literary theme. Next step is the gaining of permissions from authors, agents or publishers, then on to designing publicity material and securing tour bookings. The all round positive responses from venues and writers alike, increasing audience numbers and perception of what we are doing as a grass roots cultural entertainment continues to fill my creative being with purpose and enjoyment!
STEPHEN TOMLIN 