Winter show counters loneliness this Christmas
Winter Wonderland | 5 carol concerts to get you in the festive mood | Latest NW arts news
Despite how festive my life has been over the past few weeks, Stored Honey has been relatively Christmas-free (apart from this review of the Everyman’s Rock ’n’ roll panto). But it’s time for the seasonal spirit to spill over from my private life into this week’s edition, which features an interview about a theatre show that’s helping make elderly people’s December a little bit less lonely. It’s a wonderful idea, which you can support by backing the crowdfunder - more on that below.
Before that, an apology from me. You (hopefully) noticed that there was no Stored Honey last week. I wasn’t feeling well and despite usually being able to push through no matter what, I was defeated by the combination of a bad cold, very little voice and a lack of energy. One of the downsides of writing Stored Honey alone is that there is nobody to step in when I’m ill. One day, I hope this newsletter will be financially sustainable enough to pay other writers to contribute, but that’s in the future.
So thank you for your patience, and on with the show…
A reminder to our elderly that they've not been forgotten
There’s a moment in the production of Winter Wonderland that sums up everything That Theatre Group founder Peter Ward is trying to achieve by touring this Christmas show around 30 Merseyside care homes - and to Liverpool’s Unity Theatre - this month.
The performers pull a cracker and a member of the audience gets to wear the paper crown and play Queen for a minute by sharing their festive message for the world. During the last show it was a 103-year-old woman, who was “so sprightly, she was delightful”.
Ward says: “The main thing I want people to get from it is joy and entertainment, and a sense of breaking their loneliness a little bit, and a reminder that they've not been forgotten.”
Research by Age UK, revealed this month that 940,000 older people (aged 65+) in the UK are often lonely, and 1,270,000 older people in England go a week without speaking to a friend or family member. Those living in residential care report feeling lonelier than those in the community.
This is something that Ward has witnessed first hand, visiting his friend Graeme Phillips (The Unity’s former artist director) during lockdown and since. He and Phillips worked together on a production of Krapp’s Last Tape at The Unity earlier this year.
“That time when we'd got our kind of freedom after the pandemic, care homes were still in lockdown, and I saw the loneliness and the isolation their residents were experiencing,” he says.
“Along with thousands of others across the country, I was visiting loved ones by talking through the window.
“I got very angry at the neglect and the crisis the care sector was in, and that was highlighted by the government's inaction and neglect during the pandemic. And so after 35 years of working full time in the arts and having a bit of time on my hand, I thought I'd divert my anger and energy into doing something positive.”
The result was the theatre production Spring into summer, which toured to 35 care homes, and ultimately this year’s Winter Wonderland, which is based on the seasonal stories of people living in 11 care homes.
“Interestingly enough, they all focused on when they were children,” says Ward. “I was expecting to hear stories about when they were a bit older and had children of their own or grandchildren.
“We recorded over 100 different voices, which are the soundtrack for Winter Wonderland. The actors bring those stories to life by re-enacting them, be it Christmas dinner or writing to Father Christmas, kissing under the mistletoe when you're a little bit older, building snowmen. We’ve got classic Christmas songs from people like Bing Crosby and Dean Martin. And we've got some fantastic puppets.
“So it's funny, it's very visual, it's highly entertaining, it's participatory, very musical, but it's also very heart-warming. And then, in addition to all of that, one of the posts I created this time around was an engagement coordinator, who's put together a brilliant activities pack.”
The production was created during That Theatre Group’s 10-week residency in Green Heys Care Home in Waterloo. Liverpool John Moores University’s Faculty of Health & Applied Care is researching the residency’s impact on the well being of the care home’s residents.
To keep costs to the care homes low, Winter Wonderland is being funded by the Arts Council and Ward has set up a crowdfunder to raise essential gap funding.
Ward says: “When I did the call out, I had about 80 requests for the show, so I could have booked it twice. Maybe next year I’ll employ two companies, we rehearse the same show and take them both out on tour.”
Winter Wonderland is at the Unity Theatre, Liverpool, on Friday, December 13. Support That Theatre Group’s crowdfunder here.
Latest arts news
🌁 A new exhibition from Christy Burdock opens at Salford Museum & Art Gallery on Saturday, December 14. In Narratives of Britain, the artist captures contemporary stories within small communities the UK, making the mundane and commonplace a source of beauty and interest. New drawings and paintings based on research on the “most ordinary areas of Salford” will be shown alongside a body of work not seen on display as a whole in a museum before.
🖼️ Just when you’re waiting for one arty immersive experience, three come along. The latest is the National Gallery’s Stories – Brought to Life, which will debut at Media City, Salford, in May. There isn’t loads of information available just yet but they say it will “combine the highest quality visual effects, digital projection and audio technology to push the boundaries of creative storytelling” and “tell the amazing human stories behind some of the Gallery’s best loved portraits and bring the Collection to life like never before.” Tickets go on sale in February - sign up here to be among the first to hear more.
🌲An installation made up of more than 40 paintings by Liverpool-based artist Gareth Kemp will be on display at Bridewell Studios and Gallery on Thursday December 12, from 6-10pm. A Forest, which references the works of German Romantic painter Caspar David Friedrich 250 years after his death in 1774, will form a backdrop to musical performances by Cavern Club resident Clark Gilmour and She’s In The Trees. There will be a bar, hot chocolate and pizza.
🔭 Jodrell Bank in Cheshire is holding a series of Winter of Wonder evenings, featuring festive lights, screenings of The Snowman and Christmas shopping. It includes new science show Starlight Spectacular, astronaut dress-up and creative Christmas crafts. It takes place from Tuesday December 17 to Friday December 20.
🖌️ Kirkby Art Gallery is holding two art courses for children and young people from Saturday, January 25 to Wednesday, March 29. Little BIG Art Club is for ages 7-12 and Young Makers Group for 13 to 17-year-olds. Led by experienced artist tutors, the courses cost £75 per person for all 10 sessions and materials. To book, email galleries@knowsley.gov.uk
In case you missed it
5 carol concerts and services that will get you in the festive mood
City Carols with Merseyside Police Band, Liverpool Parish Church: “Arrive when you can - leave when you must” is the catchphrase of this carol service aimed at city centre workers in their lunch hour. Even though breaks were a rare occurrence in my Post and Echo days, I managed to round up a couple of colleagues to join me for this annual Christmas treat. It’s all very jolly, with mince pies available, and the congregation gets to pick which carols are sung by calling out the numbers on a pamphlet with the lyrics on. Wednesday, December 11, 12pm.
A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols, Manchester Cathedral: The Manchester version of King's College Cambridge well-known televised service. Seating is allocated on a first come, first seated basis so make sure you get there early. Sunday, December 22, 7.30pm.
The XXL Christmas Carol Concert, Chester Cathedral: A huge choir of more than 100 people perform old and new pop songs in gospel char style. All profits will be evenly split between Ronald McDonald House, Cash For Kids and Alder Hey Hospital. Tuesday, December 17, 7.30pm.
MAGNIFY - Carols at Blackpool Tower: The band from the Salvation Army at Blackpool Citadel will lead the audience in a range of popular Christmas carols, and there will be readings from the nativity story by church leaders from across Lancashire. Tuesday, December 10, 7.30pm.
Carols by Candlelight, Carlisle Cathedral: The cathedral’s boy and girl choristers, Consort and Lay Clerks will join together to sing classical and modern carols. Thursday, December 19 and Friday, December 20, 7.30pm.
Opening this week
Come From Away, the musical true story of 7,000 air passengers from all over the world grounded in Canada in the wake of 9/11, and the Newfoundland community who embraced them, is at The Lowry, Salford, for a four-week festive run.
Last chance to see
Tabitha Jussa: Match Day at the Williamson Art Gallery, Birkenhead, documents the journeys of fans around the home fixtures of Liverpool FC, Everton FC and Tranmere Rovers. Her interest is in capturing the ritualistic behaviour of large crowds, exploring the habitual and sometimes essential narratives and relationships that exist between people and place. Ends Saturday, December 21.
Thank you for reading the 109th edition of Stored Honey. If you enjoyed what you read then please hit the ❤️ button as it helps to get it shown more widely.
I’m off now to pack for a trip on the very train used in the filming of the 1984 TV version of John Masefield’s Box of Delights. There will be mulled wine, gingerbread and Father Christmas. No buttered eggs or dodgy card-playing clergymen, but you can’t have everything.
In the meantime, you can get hold of me on Instagram, on Bluesky, in the comments or by replying to this email.
Have a great week,
Laura
P.S. Smog, wool and brick - you can now sniff the ‘scent’ of LS Lowry’s most famous paintings