Steel town to come alive with the sound of music

MOST communities succumb to the modern fashion for producing local history books.

But the traditional steel town of Stocksbridge in South Yorkshire is taking a different approach to documenting its history, by creating a musical stage show to tell the story.

It has called in poet Ian McMillan to help with the process of condensing hundreds of years of history into one evening's entertainment and when the process is compete it is hoped similar projects will follow in Kirklees and Barnsley.

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Organisers admit that at this stage, with more than six months to go, they have no idea exactly what form the show will take. That should evolve over the next few months as producers work with a range of community groups to gather material. Ian Enters, one of the key figures behind the project, said: "It is a gamble. We don't know where we are going."

There is confidence the show will be a success, however, because of a combination of the community spirit in Stocksbridge and the professionalism of the cast who will perform the show.

They have a history of tackling challenging material, from Shakespeare to a production called Old King Coal, about the miners' strike of the 1980s which was recently resurrected to mark the 25th anniversary.

An objective of the project, by the Steel Valley Beacon Arts group, is to get the full age-range of the community working together.

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One of the early events to gather material takes place today, featuring the Bard of Barnsley and prizewinning artist Tony Husband in a show called A Cartoon History of Here. The event is aimed at teasing out stories and memories from the audience which should eventually be incorporated into the final show. Tickets are available from The Venue, telephone 0114 283 8692.

Mr Enters, artistic director of the Beacon Arts group, said the musical was intended as an outlet for the knowledge and experiences held within the community. "Rather than Ian just going away to write it, I suggested it would be much better to work with other community groups, to see what came out of it.

"That led me to do two or three drama workshops. We used some history society materials and that generated a lot of interest," he said.

Later in the year producers will work with the material to produce a show, which may take the form of a series of snapshots or one story.

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"We don't know what it will be yet but by next November there will be a coherent musical telling the story of this community, and this community has a lot to tell.

"This valley was one of the first major stainless steel producers in the world. Older people in the valley need a way of sharing their stories with younger people. We work across generations and it means young people will learn from the old and old learn from the young.

"It is desperately important that people feel respected within their community."

Financial backing has come from bodies including the East Peak Innovation Partnership which also covers parts of Barnsley and Kirklees. These areas are likely to get the opportunity to create similar projects in future.

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Locally Stocksbridge Town Council has also invested in the idea and the Bridge Charity Shop, which shares its profits among community groups in the area has also offered support.

It is likely the musical will be performed in Stocksbridge and also presented in Barnsley and Kirklees in the autumn. Some of the material from the show may eventually be published, either as a book or DVD, and groups in other areas of the Innovation Partnership will be offered support if they choose to launch their own version.

"The musical is a spine, with other things expected to happen around it. For example there is interest in opening up Stocksbridge to walkers and there may be a heritage trail and information map with the things which end up featuring in the musical," he said.

Other community organisations interested in repeating the project can contact Mr Enters through www.steelvalleybeaconarts.org