COAL lotta love needed to keep strike show alive
Play is about miners’dispute
Four women from the Stirling area who recaptured the strife of the 198485 miners’ strike in a show marking the iconic dispute are holding a fundraiser next month to help keep it on the road.
Jane Nelson from Stirling, Fiona Miller from Dunblane, Sally Young from Greenloaning and Ann McArthur from Croy had played ‘pit wives’ in a production of COAL at the Macrobert last September to mark the 30th anniversary of the closure of Stirling’s Polmaise Colliery. Ann McArthur’s father had worked in the mines and Sally Young had nursed miners with miningrelated conditions.
The women, who met for the first time at an audition, had no experience of acting, singing or dancing and took part in an intense weekend of rehearsals in advance of the Macrobert shows. They were joined by a cast of seven professional dancers and a live brass band.
Their contribution to the performance was over the three days of the Macrobert shows, but they have now organised a fundraiser in Dunblane’s Victoria Halls on March 3.
COAL has received funding from Arts Council England and Creative Scotland, but requires to raise more than 20% of money needed to run the tour from income through ticket sales, workshops and fundraising.
It costs around £20,000 for COAL to tour to every venue, which means an additional £4,000 requires to be raised each time for each venue.
Architect Jane Nelson said: “The idea is to create a great fun night and raise a bit of money too. There is a scene in the production depicting a social night in a miners’ welfare club. Our intention is to try and create a bit of that atmosphere – community, friendship and sharing.
“During the strike a lot of fundraising was carried out to support the miners’ families we are now trying to do our bit of fundraising 30 years later to make sure that the COAL production can continue to tour and keep the legacy of the miners’ strike alive.”
Jane explained that she got involved in COAL as she wished to take on the challenge of appearing in a stage production following her fiftieth birthday.
She added: “I felt very humbled to be part of a production which aims to remind people of the harsh reality of the miners’ strike and the impact it had on our social history.
“Up until COAL the four of us didn’t know each other. We were truly inspired and empowered by the production and have come together, with the help and support of other ‘pit’ women, who have also had the privilege to take part, to raise awareness and funds for the cause, much the same as the miners’ wives did 30 years ago.”
The Dunblane fundraiser will include dancing, raffles, tombola, an auction and buffet. Tickets costing £10 can be purchased by calling Jane on 07769 676595.