In His Own Words

Robert Winslow, Artistic Director

Photo by Marlon Hazlewood

November 2nd, 2010

Ok, I'm marshalling my forces, getting over a nasty cold and sitting down to write my weekly report.

Although I've been researching World War I a lot over the past several weeks, this past week-end I took a detour into another subject entirely.

I spent the weekend visiting Norfolk and Suffolk, staying at the home of Eastern Angles theatre company's artistic director Ivan Cutting. Ivan started this company over 30 years ago with a mandate to tell local stories and histories - sound familiar? He is a Scorpio like me, his wife an Aries like mine and he lives not too far from Peterborough - England where he has been doing development work. Kind of spooky, eh?

Eastern Angles is based in Ipswich at the John Mills Theatre, a small, intimate space seating just over one hundred. His company also tours throughout the UK. I saw one of their plays on tour, Palm Wine and Stout, and really liked it. Every now and then they also do large, site-specific productions in places like potting (plants) factories and aircraft hangers.

Ivan has done a couple of plays on the Anglo-Saxons of the Dark Ages and took me round to a couple of Anglo-Saxon sites I was interested in seeing - West Stow Saxon Village near Bury St. Edmunds and Sutton Hoo near Woodbridge. Both sites were extremely fascinating. West Stow boasts re-created Saxon houses from the sixth and seventh centuries. Sutton Hoo is a royal burial site containing the famous ship burial of King Raenwald of East Anglia.

Why am I interested in all this you ask? Well, as I looked back to The Cavan Blazers and looked further back in The Winslows of Derryvore I'm thinking of looking back even further into the Saxon Winslows of Devon, England who lived in the kingdom of Wessex. 'Winslow' is Saxon for 'friend of the hill'. It's amazing how similar these small, self-contained Saxon settlements were to life in Millbrook! I'm only half joking. Anyway, a play down the road, maybe, for our 25th season? It would be great to get Ivan over here to see our work. He is a leading and respected regional artist in the UK and I feel very lucky to have met him and visited with him. I have to thank Gavin Stride, the artistic director of Farnham Maltings here for suggesting how close in concept 4th Line and Eastern Angles are, and brokering our meeting.

Well, I must get back to my research. This week I'm reviewing all the notes I have taken thus far and they are copious. I have new lead to follow up in Tunbridge Wells and London and then begin the exciting/scary process of creating scenes and bringing dramatic characters to life.

I was so happy this morning to read my co-writer Ian McLachlan's report on the Doctor Barnardo's Children production in Goderich. It sounds like it went really well - it's the first time one of my 4th Line plays has been done elsewhere, hopefully not the last! I must say I've been talking with Ivan Cutting at Eastern Angles about a play we could perhaps create in Canada and bring over here in five or six years.

So, thanks for listening and I'll check in next week. Happy November!! I get to experience Guy Fawkes night this Saturday. And the fireman are going on strike for it!

Cheers.

Rob