<p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">From Wensleydale to the Wild West, an epic tale of struggle, endurance and buffalo droppings!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">On Saturday, eight of our friends (five couples altogether) travelled a short distance and met up at the Hutton Rudby Village Hall to watch a play entitled: <em>Home on the Range</em>.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The play is based on the diaries of women on the famous 2000 mile Oregon Trail, which tells the tale of daleswomen: Annis Hawker, her sister May and daughter Hope and the incredible journey they make from the lead mining communities of Northern England to the Wild West of America. &nbsp;&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Between 1840 and 1860, over 200,000 men, women and children made the hazardous overland journey, on what became known as the Oregon and California Trails.&nbsp; Following the demise of the lead mining industry, the promise of &lsquo;land for the taking' is what kept them going on this torturous journey.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0000ff; font-size: medium;">The first image is representing Angelina Ashley, who in 1852 wrote in her diary: "I write on my lap with the wind rocking the wagon."</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The overland experience observed and written down in diaries and then evoked through the depiction of the play: <em>Home on the Range</em>, brings the audience closer to understanding how historical drama translates into human experience. </span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The programme claimed that the play: &lsquo;Told with live music and dance, as well as the North Country's now famous wit and theatrical invention, the story moves from laughter to tears and back again as it takes the audience on an epic journey of the imagination.'</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">My verdict: I was hooked from the beginning and engaged until the end such was the imaginative creativity via the telling with live music, dance and three great actresses.&nbsp; What made it particularly poignant; the characters were from North Yorkshire and diaries are a particular passion of mine.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The props were excellent, too, the main one being the wagon, which was throughout cleverly utilised to maintain, relate and move the story along at a steady pace.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Friends' verdict:&nbsp; All the women loved it and we laughed in the same places as well as shedding a tear or two.&nbsp; One friend said: he liked the religious link.&nbsp; Another said: the ruts that the wagons made are still visible across parts of the trail.&nbsp; One other friend said: he hadn't realised before arrriving what the play was about and was hoping for a comedy.&nbsp; Well at least he told the truth!</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The North Country Theatre is a professional theatre company based in the beautiful market town of Richmond in North Yorkshire and has created many original new plays along with exciting adaptations of classic novels since it began in 1996.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">The theatre tours to rural areas and is committed to giving exciting, entertaining and intelligent theatre to audiences whose access to live theatre is limited by geography.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">For more information on the theatre group here is an address: <a href="http://www.northcountrytheatre.com/">www.northcountrytheatre.com</a></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="color: #0000ff; font-size: medium;"><em>Thank you to the award winning writer and director: Nobby Dimon and the actresses: Vivienne Garnett, Fiona Paul and Amelia Newbould for a lively and imaginative performance.&nbsp; Thank you also for allowing me to publish the photographs. </em></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if !mso]> <span class="mceItemObject" classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui> </span> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p class="MsoNormal"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">North Country Theatre Artistic Director: <strong>Nobby Dimon</strong>&nbsp; <a href="http://www.northcountrytheatre.com/artdir.html "><span></span></a></span><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:WordDocument> <w:View>Normal</w:View> <w:Zoom>0</w:Zoom> <w:PunctuationKerning /> <w:ValidateAgainstSchemas /> <w:SaveIfXMLInvalid>false</w:SaveIfXMLInvalid> <w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent> <w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>false</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText> <w:Compatibility> <w:BreakWrappedTables /> <w:SnapToGridInCell /> <w:WrapTextWithPunct /> <w:UseAsianBreakRules /> <w:DontGrowAutofit /> </w:Compatibility> <w:BrowserLevel>MicrosoftInternetExplorer4</w:BrowserLevel> </w:WordDocument> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> <w:LatentStyles DefLockedState="false" LatentStyleCount="156"> </w:LatentStyles> </xml><![endif]--><!--[if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><a href="http://www.northcountrytheatre.com/artdir.html ">http://www.northcountrytheatre.com/artdir.html</a></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">has directed yet another play which was absolutely <em>oar-</em>some.<span>&nbsp; </span>The matin&eacute;e production was staged, once again, at the Hutton Rudby Village Hall on Saturday 5 March 2011 at 2.30 pm.</span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">The last time I reported on a Nobby Dimon play, that was held in the same rural location, can be read here: <a href="blogs/entry/Home-on-the-Range">http://www.writelink.co.uk/community/blogs/entry/Home-on-the-Range</a>, only this time <em>Skallagrimson Keeps His Head</em> was specially commissioned by the Yorvik Viking Festival.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Before the play began Nobby asked the audience who had heard of the main character: Egil Skallagrimson. Perhaps ironically, few hands were raised as opposed to many being raised when asked who had heard of King Eric Bloodaxe.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Whereas Egil Skallagrimson could be viewed as a mythological character, in Iceland he is still very much a folk hero and children there are still taught about him in school.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Egil&rsquo;s epic 10^th century Icelandic saga centres on the life of Egil Skallagrimson, an Icelandic farmer, Viking and skaldic poet.<span>&nbsp; </span>Here is an excellent link to learn more of the saga entitled: </span><span style="font-family: times; color: black; font-size: small;">Egil Skallagrimson and the Viking Ideal by Christina von Nolcken:</span><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> <a href="http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777122294/">http://fathom.lib.uchicago.edu/1/777777122294/</a></span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Nobby went on to claim that skaldic poetry is a bit like today&rsquo;s performance poetry as the tales passed on can be folksy, accompanied by music (see picture of six stringed liae) and images &ndash; the poets may even dress-up etc.<span>&nbsp; </span>The tales of war were probably passed on by rote for the bards to epically perform from the spoken word.<span>&nbsp; </span>The big difference is that poetry then was often referred to as Odin&rsquo;s Meade and for this culture, poetry and war went hand in hand.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">He further added that the strength in word-weaving often conjured up an image by linking words together such as: <em>swan-necked-ship</em>;<em> arrows feel like hail they say</em>;<em> bitter-battle-deed</em>; <em>shields were shattered in the fray</em>.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">&ldquo;When the ice-fast fjord</span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Fractured into floes</span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">I went aboard</span></em></p> <p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align: justify;"><em><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">my wooden whale-road rider&hellip;&rdquo;</span></em></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;">Overall, the play was a fast moving tongue-in-cheek version of Egil&rsquo;s epic Icelandic saga: a classic that proved to be an educationally informative and entertaining mix of murder, mayhem and mirth in equal measure.</span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"> </span></p> <p><span style="font-family: times; font-size: small;"><br /></span></p> <p>&nbsp;</p>

<p><!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 </xml><![endif][if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><![endif][if !mso]> <span class="mceItemObject" classid="clsid:38481807-CA0E-42D2-BF39-B33AF135CC4D" id=ieooui> </span> <style> st1\:*{behavior:url(#ieooui) } </style> <![endif][if gte mso 10]> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0cm 5.4pt 0cm 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0cm; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;} </style> <![endif]--></p> <p>&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">I was at the Theatre Royal in Newcastle last Thursday evening, waiting for Madame Butterfly to begin, when I turned to my friend and asked if she'd been watching Coronation Street recently.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Yes I have she replied, even though some people deny watching it on account of them being snobs.&nbsp; It's like watching Shakespeare she continued, or something like that anyway, and I agreed.&nbsp; And what was it Shakespeare said in: <em>As You Like It</em>:</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">All the world's a stage,<br /> And all the men and women merely players:<br /> They have their exits and their entrances;<br /> And one man in his time plays many parts,..'</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Sounds like a clich&eacute;, but then, that's life - a play within a play.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Norris, you know the one, he owns the newsagents in Coronation Street, or does he joint own it with Rita Fairclough.&nbsp; Hang on though, isn't her surname Sullivan these days?&nbsp; She's had that many husbands, one of them a serial killer if I recall correctly - whatever, it doesn't take long to catch up.&nbsp; And what about that whatsoname - the one pursuing Audrey Roberts, the cad - Lewis Archer - oh well, he's company I suppose, Audrey.&nbsp; Hang on to your inheritance though, pet.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">It's an English institution Coronation Street - I used to watch it with my Nana and remember the hairnetted Ena Sharples having a stout in the Rovers Retrun with her friend, Minnie Caldwell. Hilda Ogden singing whilst dusting; those 3 flying ducks on the wall, and her husband the pigeon fancier...</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Where was I, oh yes, the Theatre Royal in Newcastle has had a makeover and looks amazing - reupholstered Georgian seats with plenty of leg room. Overall the building and d&eacute;cor are classical and not too overstated.&nbsp; They have unobtrusive screens on either side of the stage so that the audience can read the libretto.&nbsp; A must, especially if you're not Italian. There's an ample sized bar with plenty of space behind it.&nbsp; There's plenty of space in front, too, for theatre goers to chat and drink without feeling you're in the way for either being nudged or shoved. It's the first time I've been to an opera and Madame Butterfly was, I thought, a good introductory experience.&nbsp; Hoping to see the Ballet: Nutcracker next (unfortunate name, don't you think?)</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">As for Norris saying we live in a self-congratulatory world and that every day seems to be a celebratory day for something or other, I think he's right.&nbsp; Well, things do move on Norris, and here is my self-congratulatory news.&nbsp; </span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">After winning Writelink's Love Divine Poetry Comp with my poem: <em>April's Foolish Tryst </em>with a cash prize of &pound;20, I was further delighted to have my poem: <em>Absence </em>selected to celebrate the naming of Tomas Transtr&ouml;mer as the Nobel laureate for literature at the end of 2011. It can be read here: <a href="http://t.co/lBr4Fsl" title="http://www.nftu.co.uk/2012/03/14/poetry-response-2-%E2%80%9Cafter-someones-death%E2%80%9D-by-tomas-transtromer/">http://www.nftu.co.uk/2012/03/14/poetry-response-2-%E2%80%9Cafter-someones-death%E2%80%9D-by-tomas-transtromer/</a></span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">This is just between me and you, Writelinkers, but I hadn't a clue who Tomas Transtr&ouml;mer was, but after seeing a call-for-submissions in response to his poem: &lsquo;<em>After somone's death</em>' that I read via @poetryresponse, it inspired said poem.&nbsp;</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Tomas Transtr&ouml;mer was born on 15 April 1931 and is a Swedish writer, poet and translator, whose poetry has been translated into over 60 languages. Tomas Transtr&ouml;mer is acclaimed as one of the most important Scandinavian writers since the Second World War. Critics have praised Transtr&ouml;mer's poems for their accessibility, even in translation; his poems capture the long Swedish winters, the rhythm of the seasons and the palpable, atmospheric beauty of nature.&nbsp; (Wikipedia)</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p> <p style="text-align: justify;"><span style="font-size: medium;">Gosh, how proud am I, and of course I'll be reading his English translations of published poetry.</span></p> <p style="text-align: justify;">&nbsp;</p>