The incredible story of the River Trent is soon to come to life on the stage, thanks to a partnership between RSPB’s newest wetland nature reserve Beckingham Marshes, local youth group PACS, and amateur dramatics society Kismet.
Supported by generous funds of £399,700 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), Marshsongs, a moving celebration of theatre, music, dance, poetry and visual arts, is the result of a unique collaboration between local drama groups and a wetland creation project along the River Trent.
Michael Copleston, Site Manager for RSPB Beckingham Marshes says: “The performance is a phenomenal piece of work that vibrantly tells the story of the River Trent through the ages from Viking settlements, willow weaving industry up to the present day with a running theme of how the wildlife of the landscape ebbs and flows with human influence.”
The first two performances will be held on Friday 19 and Saturday 20 September at 7:30pm in Beckingham Village Hall. The final performances will be held on Friday 26 and Saturday 27 September at 7:30pm in Gainsborough Old Hall.
Local groups PACS and Kismet are based in the Gainsborough area, the performance tells the story of the mighty river Trent and how the culture and heritage of the local community has transformed alongside a dramatically changing landscape for wildlife.
Michael adds: “It’s been an absolute joy to witness our local drama groups out on the reserve experiencing and drawing inspiration from the wildlife of the marshes, from brown hares boxing, lapwing tumbling in the vast skies to dragonflies flitting over the wetland areas.
Kerry Greenwood from Kismet says: “We've loved being involved in the project. As a company, we have never tackled anything like this before, so it has been a challenge but one we have learned so much from and we are very proud of what we have put together.
“Not only that, but members of Kismet have become fascinated by the work of the RSPB, some of us have even joined as members which has been a real pleasure. We are certain we have developed a production with wide appeal which truly reflects a community response to the Beckingham Marshes wetland project and which will be full of surprises, so we hope very much people will come along and experience what we have created!”
Michael Copleston says: “Please come along and support this one-off local event, we would all love to see the show reach as many people as possible.”
For further information and to book tickets for one of the performances, visit: www.kismettheatrecompany.com. To find out more about RSPB’s Beckingham nature reserve visit: www.rspb.org.uk/reserves/guide/b/beckinghammarshes
Beckingham Marshes reserve – the inspiration for a new drama Marshsongs © Carl Cornish
Nice to see the Trent getting a bit of attention; a much underrated river, in my opinion!