On Common Ground

About

An afternoon of stories, songs and music exploring the life and times of poet John Clare within the context of the Enclosures Act. We see how the imposed grid of ownership on the countryside, which brought wealth to the landowners and the farmers, disenfranchised the poor and began the shift of the working class from the countryside to the factories of the Industrial Revolution. Giving insights into the folk traditions of the 18th century, evoking landscape and class structure, the narrative is punctuated by excerpts from Clare's poetry, and from ballads of the time. Performed by two of Britain's leading artists of their genres. Storyteller Hugh Lupton is a master wordsmith; Chris Wood is the leading folk musician of his generation. Together they weave a beguiling magic. 'A packed house sat in a thrall of enchantment, no movement, no intrusive sounds… Hugh Lupton is joined by singer/fiddler Chris Wood, whose style is timeless and beguiling, his songs wonderfully evocative' Eastern Daily Press '….the images that billowed and faded in that darkened auditorium were quite different from those that unspool across a screen. I could put my hands in front of my face and the pictures would not vanish. They were inside me. They belonged to me. They were part of the history of the whole of human life' The Times Hugh and Chris were the winners of the BBC Folk Award for Best Original Song 2006, for ‘One in a Million'. PLEASE NOTE: This performance is aimed at an adult audience, not suitable for under 12s. To book: T- 01937 546 546 or online- http://boxoffice.bl.uk