A further performance of ‘The Gathering – Messages from the Great War’ will be staged in Wimborne on Friday June 8th at 7.30pm. The production was staged earlier this year and quickly sold out.
The play is a commemoration of the lives of two local soldiers, Will Cutler and Hubert Wareham, who died during the First World War, and two people closely involved in their lives: Will’s wife, Tillie, and the Vicar of Wimborne Minster, Reverend James Fletcher.
Audiences attending the February performance were enthusiastic:
- The Gathering was deeply moving and very beautiful – like a poem, spare in form but full of feeling. The actors expressed a great range of emotions, becoming the voices of the characters whose sacrificial lives are an inspiration to us and to generations to follow and the music expressed the message of hope that came so strongly out of the play. Edna Powney
- How it brought the people to life, turning the dates, names and places into reality. Roofer
- Bring to life stores we didn’t know about.
- The acting was amazing and very much brought war-life of soldiers to the fore.
- The power of live theatre
- Theatrical performance was of the highest calibre; all members of the cast deserve recognition for their high quality performance. An awesome theatrical performance which was extremely moving and brought our family history to life.
- A brilliant amalgamation of factual material mixed with imagined and honestly presented. Lovely singing and great to see the images on screen. Very moving. I wanted to see more contact between Tilly and Will. When they were initially together, to accentuate their separation later when writing to each other.
- After seeing the play, Stanley Spencer’s painting, RESURRECTION in COOKHAM CHURCHYARD, has haunted me. You created a powerful, emotive experience of those tragic times. By bringing those doomed young men to such vivid and exuberant life, made us so aware of our own mortality, our own family stories. The pared down production… the few props.. the improvised video screen.. all contributed to the strength of the strong script…interpreted with such sensitivity by an experienced cast whose ensemble pieces echoed Complicites best work. And course, Alastair’s film gave a sobering touch of reality for us watching with hindsight . Images of the Paul Nash paintings in that terrible deafening silence after the battle… a brilliant touch. Particularly moving, to know that some of the descendants of the characters were present, to be in the church where William and Tillie were married and to have the pleasure of hearing the trumpet solo of such a talented young descendant.. left us with a feeling of hope for the future. Congratulations, everyone. How about an Artsreach tour next, Ian’s idea ? It deserves more exposure and would be appreciated by other village audiences, particularly if it was followed up by some local research into their own memories. Wendy Wharam
- It was brilliant, thank you. Powerful, moving, totally absorbing. Everyone I spoke to felt the same, and the length of the applause at the end said it all! Ben Buxton
