Tara re-lives family history in stage show
A WOMAN from Hinckley is re-visiting her family history in dramatic circumstances.
Tara Cousins is starring in COAL, a dance theatre show which features women whose relatives worked in the coal mines.
Tara now lives near Trinity Marina, but she hails from Eastry in Kent, where three generations of her family laboured in the nearby pits.
She heard COAL was looking for women with a family background in mining through her local Women’s Institute.
Tara said: “When I heard about the opportunity, it was something I immediately wanted to do.
“The audition was quite an emotional night, hearing people’s forgotten stories about how the strikes affected communities.”
A weekend of intensive rehearsals awaits Tara ahead of the showing at the Curve theatre in Leicester.
She will perform alongside professional dancers and a live brass band, in a drama exploring the stiff physical demands of the working-class industry.
It was orgnised to mark the 30th anniversary of the 1984/5 British miners’ strikes.
Tara added: “I’m told there’s some interaction with the audience.
“It’s great to be able to bring this historial experience to a newer generation.”
Tara’s father, who himself worked in the mines, will be coming to see the show.
The performance is on April 15 at 7.30pm. Tickets are avialable on the Curve theatre website,
You can also find out more about the history of the show on the COAL Tour website.