You don’t get me I’m part of the union. ANNA CALE finds the story of one family’s experience of life at the coalface is an impassioned celebration of mining communities during an era of ground-breaking change.
Family tensions loom large in this heartfelt production from Yorkshire based theatre company The Melting Shop. On Behalf of the People captures the experience of one family and their community as radical change in the post-war period transforms the coal mining industry and the role of the trade union.
The Mason family have worked at the local coal mine for generations, and head of the household and proud union man George (Ray Ashcroft) always expected his two sons to follow. But the second world war intervened and both sons signed up. Older brother and favourite son Jud didn’t make it, and when younger brother Tom (a particularly impressive Danny Mellor) unexpectedly returns from war, family divisions and union loyalty come to a head as the Masons seek to heal the generational divide. Is the power of the union more important than family ties?
Originally commissioned in 2017 by the National Coal Mining museum for England to mark 70 years since the nationalisation of the British coal mining industry, the play has been touring community and studio venues across the Yorkshire and North Derbyshire region, and bringing the story back into the heart of the former mining communities that drove the change. Writer and co-producer Ray Castleton based the work on the extensive research with the National Coal Mining museum and real-life stories from former miners and their families, and that feeling of absolute authenticity really shines through.
As a small studio production, the audience at the Leeds Carriageworks theatre were in amongst the performance, with those on the front row participating in the action. I take my duties for the CV very seriously, so I sat to side of one of the actors and played my (incredibly minor) part. By being so close, you felt like part of the family, and it added to the immersive experience of live theatre. We were that mining community, we were the people.
This was a physical and sensory experience, with director Charlie Kenber, movement director Patricia Suarez and sound designer Sam Glossop creating a unique atmosphere that belied the pared down set. With all the grit of a Yorkshire winter felt in every scene and a passionate, lively script delivered with such precision by the excellent four-strong cast, for me this play perfectly captured the importance of identity and the effects of loss on a family. Times are changing, traditional roles are shifting, but it is the strength of the women, mum Connie (Kate Wood) and Tom’s girlfriend Liz (Lizzie Frain) that keep the family together.
George’s unwavering trust in those who ‘promise to see the men right’ is challenged by the younger generation, who are beginning to question the feeling of hope and expectation created by the party and trade union’s vision of Jerusalem’s green and pleasant land. As the new Labour government and nationalisation ushers in a new beginning for the community and the family stand proudly together, the poignancy of their hopes and dreams is made all the more emotive by knowing the future futility of the struggle. This was a powerful and heartfelt play, made on behalf of the people.
On Behalf of the People is touring until 20th July 2018. Forthcoming shows include Selby Town Hall on 30th June and Theatre Royal Wakefield on 5th July. Full details of dates and venues can be found at www.themeltingshop.co.uk