Kentish Express Ashford & District
Performance tells stories of soldiers and sweethearts
Heartfelt notes sent to and from the front line during the First World War form the basis of the latest performance by Ashford Youth Theatre.
Letters, scripted by member Rachel Critchley, uses extracts from actual correspondence sent by soldiers and their sweethearts between 1914 and 1918, some of whom came from Great Chart, near Ashford.
The words will be read by a cast of seven actors, many the same age as the men who gave their lives and the women they left behind.
Accompanying the voices will be a cacophony of sounds to aid the illusion of travelling to war and taking part in a battle.
The performance will be given at St Mary’s Church in the town centre and the building will be transformed to resemble a war memorial with the use of giant blackout curtains.
Theatre co-founder Stella Critchley said: “The church is an amazing and beautiful place and we are trying to make it look like the inside of a war memorial. We’ve had blackouts made for the church, including for the three-metre-high nave window, which was an absolutely massive operation.
“Some of the letters are from people in Great Chart. They are from all over Britain but we wanted some of them to be local. Rachel did a lot of research, including visiting the First World War exhibition at Godinton House. A wonderful soundscape has been devised by our young audio-technician Liam Archer.”
Ashford Youth Theatre is a semi-professional theatre company that was founded in 1983 by Mrs Critchley and Daryl Brown.
Letters by Ashford Youth Theatre takes place at St Mary’s Church, Churchyard, Ashford, on Friday, September 12. Doors open at 6.30pm for a 7pm start. Entry is free but there will be a collection for the Royal British Legion.