"My Darling Boy" by Martine Oborne (8,9 Nov 2018)
Poster
St Michael’s Church; in association with St Michael’s Players, is delighted to present My Darling Boy –an original One Act play by Rev Martine Oborne. The play was originally staged four years ago, and this very special production is performed to mark the centenary of the end of WW1.
My Darling Boy’s writer Rev Martine Oborne shares her inspiration and the plays’ important message “Just before the centenary of the start of the First World War, I began to reflect on the words I say at Remembrance services every November – Binyon's words - At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. It suddenly struck me that we could not remember the thirty-three men listed on our church monument that lost their lives in WW1 because we knew nothing about their stories. So, we applied for some funding from The Heritage Lottery Fund and set about recapturing these stories. After about a year of work, we had traced descendants, poured over archives and unearthed all kinds of artefacts - from cigarette boxes to letters to fading photographs. We put all this together to produce an exhibition and a book called ‘Heroes of Chiswick.' But still I didn't feel this quite communicated the experience of the whole community of the parish in the war years - when sons, brothers and fathers were away and when so many lost their lives or suffered so dreadfully. So, I wrote the short play My Darling Boy.” The title My Darling Boy was taken from a real letter written by a mother to her teenage son who had enlisted under age, hoping he would be spared active duty. The play is made up of a conflation of true stories and the names used have been changed, however towards the of the play you will hear the real names of those who lost their lives. My Darling Boy begins at the outbreak of WW1 with the pride felt by families that their boys were fighting for the country and the expectation that war would be over by Christmas. Little did they know that it was to last four long years and so many lives would be taken! My Darling Boy looks to the hopefulness that was shared at the time – that the lives lost would not have been in vain. That this would have been the war to end all wars! |
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What they said |
"Such a moving event. Thank you". Robin E |
Programme |
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The Videohttps://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBE6WxBAan8QdBm6LBRJ3CuAFvOMULPIl
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Photos |
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CastMrs A (Sue Darrieulat)
Mrs B (Christine Lee) Constance Gidner (Flora Barker) Mrs Gidner (Madeleine Hazard) Tom Spencer (Jamie Makin) Mr Gidner (Alastair Dewar) Julian Gidner (Alberto Lais) Rev Lawrence Spencer (Adrian Ellis) Geoffrey Gidner (Chester Smith) Frank Gidner (Chris White) Mrs Spencer (Tessa Dunn) Bishop of Kensington (Bill Rodwell) |
CrewDirector (Adrian Ellis)
Producer (Fleur de Henrie Pearce) Stage Management (Bryony Wilman and Chris Pease) Technical Designer (Marc Pearce) Technical Operator (Utku Er) Front of House & Bar (Members & Friends of St Michael’s Players) |
