A community musical will be performed in Cockermouth, part of a nationwide celebration linked to the 80th anniversary of the end of World War Two.
Our Freedom: Then and Now is a programme of events in arts centres and libraries across the UK highlighting what Our Freedom means to people and their communities.
Cockermouth’s Kirkgate Centre has been chosen as the only Cumbrian project to participate in the £2 million national creative programme.
Kirkgate Arts and Heritage is working with storyteller Jessie McMeekin and musician JP Worsfold, who have collaborated with composer Dave Camlin, to create the musical that will be performed by local people at Cockermouth’s Christmas lights switch-on on Sunday, November 23, at 1.30pm, and at The Kirkgate Centre on Sunday, December 14 at 7pm.
A team of around 50 local volunteers has been recruited to help shape the musical and workshops have taken place.
Kirkgate chief executive Emma Heys said: “Jessie, JP and Dave have created the community musical, inspired by stories from Cockermouth at the end of the Second World War and in the post-war period. They have used research from the Cockermouth Heritage Collection, alongside reflections from the people living in the town today on what freedom means to them.”
Jessie said: “It’s been a fascinating process, learning new aspects to the history of Cockermouth and the surrounding area, and then using that as a springboard to reflect on what freedom meant to people 80 years ago, and what it means to local communities today.
“One of the most striking memories we discovered was that, during the VE Day celebrations, the Billy Bowman band was hoisted onto the roof of the air-raid shelter in the centre of Main Street to play for the crowds, and we’ve worked that into the show.
“It was also really poignant to read the reminiscences of refugees who were housed at Moota after it became a YMCA hostel at the end of the war, and how music, singing and dancing were key themes which brought people together to mark key moments.”
Jessie and JP worked with members of the Cockermouth Heritage Group to learn more about its research into the town during World War Two to create songs and stories for the musical.
They then worked with Dave to arrange the songs for a choir. Dave and JP have led singing workshops, creating a scratch choir who will perform them at the events, while storyteller Jessie will weave in the powerful stories of children evacuated to Cockermouth from the North East, and refugees housed at Moota YMCA.
A poem resulting from a creative writing workshop with local residents will also be performed.
“Alongside the research, we ran a series of creative workshops for people to reflect on the theme of freedom and the Freedom Road poem, written by Poet Laureate Simon Armitage for the Our Freedom: Then and Now project,” said Jessie.
The national project is supported by the Government through Arts Council England, the Future Arts Centres and Libraries Connected initiative, It will see 60 arts centres and libraries across Britain present community-led projects exploring the legacy of VE Day and VJ Day.
