It's 1977-punk, Abba, and the Silver Jubilee. Two teenage girls Mel and Jo make a promise to leave the estate together.
1979- Mel leaves for a new life but Jo stays behind
2005- Mel returns to the estate with a new Role
Will anything ever be the same again??
'For Love Nor Money' is a play about friendship, roots and the choices people make.
The play had been devised by six women from Hartcliffe, Withywood and Lawrence Weston, who have used their own experiences as a basis for the story. Full of comedy and the dilemmas of real life and tackles issues relevant to people living in Bristol.
The play has been touring 8 different communities in Bristol from 19th April to 7th May and will be shown at a drama festival In Holland soon.
An art project by "Acta
I got dragged along by Abby's teen drama fiends to this is fantastic show last night. All the characters were played by Bristol women with no prior acting experience. All I can say is they rivaled the best.
The acting was fantastic, funny and warm. Thought provoking and sometimes sad.
The lead Characters of Jo and Mel were cleverly played at first by younger women and then moving on 26 years in a clever manoeuvre.
They also all played a group of elderly ladies with compassion but hilarity. At one point they came out into the audience and sat on the knees of men. They had the audience in stitches with a comment of 'Oooh you got nice ginger hair...Are you ginger elsewhere?'
The play delivered a powerful message to people living in these council areas. Now I thought it was going to say...Get out, get away and live a bit. As Mel did. She went to London got a degree and moved to Canada for most of her life. Had an unsuccessful marriage and came back. But Jo stayed in the estate. Married Mel's boyfriend. Got a successful job at the Citizen's advice. Ran a playgroup, old peoples lunches and Bingo was popular and extremely worthy and respected by all around her.
Basically make what you will with your life no matter who you are or where you live.
I'd recommend this to anyone...To the Prime Minister to see. Those women held the audience from teenagers to the elderly in their hands. Well done (ps one of them was played by a student nurse who was placed on my ward a while back...Well done Sarah)
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5 comments:
Just thought you'd like to know that I wanted to see For Love nor Money, but couldn't make it. Spoke to a colleague today who watched it last night and she said everything you did about it. She identified massively with it and said I would've too (both grew up in the area and I went to the school where it was shown - pity it got moved out of the Core as it's a lovely new venue). Anyhows, it's my job to produce the Wham Festival (Withywood School 30th July) and I'm doing my best to get the play shown again there, funding and Acta permitting. So you may get another chance to see it. I'll do what I can.
K
Wow that would be brilliant. My mum wanted to see it too. It was really good. I haven't seen any other reviews of it and none by the local press which is a damn shame because it was fantastic
OMG if I ever met you, I'd be so embarrased if you read all of this. I am quite normal really :)
Normal? You seem like one of the most normal people I've ever encountered! I love your blog - apart from being good fun it helps me cope with my own teenagers.
Spoke to Acta today and they've said that they can't put the whole play on for the Wham festival because they've got another commitment on the other side of town on the same day and the workers that the actors need to support them have committed to this other piece of work. Apparently they (actors and workers) had already talked about performing at the Wham festival and were really up for it, but this other commitment has got in they way and they can't get out of it. I've asked them to speak to the women who did the play to see if they would be willing to perform extracts from the play in our 'poetry and spoken word' part of the festival and they've said they'll find out for me. Just waiting to hear back from them.
Acta also told me that they're putting the play on in a few places around Bristol in the next couple of weeks and (if you want to see it again, or take your mum) they're desperate to sell more tickets, especially for Barton Hill next Wednesday. You can book tickets through Acta on 953 2448. I'm trying to get a few people to go as Acta are worried about not having a good audience for the Barton Hill performance.
Please don't feel awkward about me reading your blog. I love it, honestly. But I'll have to give it up if you feel uncomfortable. I'd hate you to feel inhibited by a reader - surely blogs are for readers?
Tell you what - if we ever meet each other we can both pretend not to know each other, even if we have suspicions that we might. That way we can go around suspecting all sorts of innocent people quite unnecessarily.
Kx
I think you're lovely and really helpful. It's an honour for me if you read my blog. Hugs xxx
Aw, thanks. I shall carry on reading then.
I just had to re-read what I posted the other night, as I'd just come in from a night out and had drunk (probably) the best part of 2 bottles of wine. When I woke up yesterday morning I could remember writing about Acta, but couldn't remember what I'd said and I haven't been able to bring myself to look at it until now.
Phew! I sound surprisingly sane and competent, and even the spelling is ok.
Must remind myself not to post comments to strangers, when I'm not even in a fit state to have a conversation with myself!
Kx
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