Clean Break Fun Palace 2014
Fun Palaces is a campaign for culture that everyone can join – combining arts and sciences, welcoming and free, at the heart of communities. Clean Break’s Fun Palace featured a new play devised by students on its education programme with acclaimed playwright Morgan Lloyd Malcolm and musical director Suzy Davies, looking at secrets past and open futures, drawing on the history of Clean Break's building in Kentish Town and the residents who have lived and worked there over the years.
A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
What a dramatic journey... in devising our Fun Palace production, we shared as much drama in the rehearsal room as we shared on stage in the performances! It was a unique and creative experience. The cast of twelve, supported by the extraordinary talents of Morgan and Suzy, worked with dedication and commitment to create a new piece entitled This Is Where We're From. It was an example of collaboration in its purest form. To have worked intensely with these twelve women - women who have given so generously - was a privilege. Equally, this opportunity to give voice to our historical fore-mothers was an honour.
The Fun Palaces project gave us the opportunity to reflect upon what Clean Break means for all the women who have contributed to making our company what it is today. We had a fun time creating this work and we hope that the enthusiasm and joy of the cast will continue to engage, celebrate, and shine brightly - and that ultimately we created a piece of 'good theatre [that] draws the energies out of the place where it is and gives it back as joie de vivre.’ - Joan Littlewood
A NOTE FROM THE DIRECTOR
What a dramatic journey... in devising our Fun Palace production, we shared as much drama in the rehearsal room as we shared on stage in the performances! It was a unique and creative experience. The cast of twelve, supported by the extraordinary talents of Morgan and Suzy, worked with dedication and commitment to create a new piece entitled This Is Where We're From. It was an example of collaboration in its purest form. To have worked intensely with these twelve women - women who have given so generously - was a privilege. Equally, this opportunity to give voice to our historical fore-mothers was an honour.
The Fun Palaces project gave us the opportunity to reflect upon what Clean Break means for all the women who have contributed to making our company what it is today. We had a fun time creating this work and we hope that the enthusiasm and joy of the cast will continue to engage, celebrate, and shine brightly - and that ultimately we created a piece of 'good theatre [that] draws the energies out of the place where it is and gives it back as joie de vivre.’ - Joan Littlewood
This Is Where We're From / All The Women
Directed by Vishni Velada-Billson
Written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, devised with the cast and MD Suzy Davies
Music by Suzy Davies
Production design: Freyja Costelloe
Cover notes: Bethany McDonald Shepherd
Directed by Vishni Velada-Billson
Written by Morgan Lloyd Malcolm, devised with the cast and MD Suzy Davies
Music by Suzy Davies
Production design: Freyja Costelloe
Cover notes: Bethany McDonald Shepherd
SPEAK UP
Soloists: Nicola, Cristina, Nicki, Lee, Red
Soloists: Nicola, Cristina, Nicki, Lee, Red
Mother Red Cap was also known as ’Mother Damnable’ or ‘The Shrew of Kentish Town’. Her foul tongue and temper were well known in the area and she would often sit outside wearing her old red cap and her shawl (with black markings that resembled bats.) Crowds would gather to hurl abuse at her but with her black cat by her side they would soon retreat from “The Evil Duo”. The truth is, however, that she lived a hard life; her parents were tried and hung as witches, and when she was 16, she gave birth to a child who most likely died. She lived as a fortune-teller and healer and died with her cat, crouched over her crutch and a tea pot full of herbs. Sadly, no one really understood Mother Red Cap, whose real name was Jinney Bingham, and so we've given her a voice to ask all misunderstood women to 'Speak Up!'
When you are told you are strange
When you are told you are odd
When you are told you are no flippin’ good
When you’re told that you simply should stay inside your box and shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!
It’s hard to be strong when you’ve always been told you are wrong
When you are told you are strange
When you are told you are odd
When you are told you are no flippin’ good
When you’re told that you simply should stay inside your box and shut up, shut up, shut up!
It’s hard to be strong when you’ve always been told you are wrong
When you are told you are sinful
When you are told you are bad
When you are told you are nothing at all
When you're are told you are bound for a fall, stay inside your box and shut up, shut up, shut up!
It’s hard to be strong when you’ve always been told you are wrong
So you think I’m different to you? Well I think you’re different to me
Too much history’s written by men – move over boys, give us the pen
You have no choice, we will be heard, we’ll find our voice,
We will break free of the box and speak up, speak up, speak up!
It’s time to be strong and prove the haters wrong
When you are told you are odd
When you are told you are no flippin’ good
When you’re told that you simply should stay inside your box and shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up, shut up!
It’s hard to be strong when you’ve always been told you are wrong
When you are told you are strange
When you are told you are odd
When you are told you are no flippin’ good
When you’re told that you simply should stay inside your box and shut up, shut up, shut up!
It’s hard to be strong when you’ve always been told you are wrong
When you are told you are sinful
When you are told you are bad
When you are told you are nothing at all
When you're are told you are bound for a fall, stay inside your box and shut up, shut up, shut up!
It’s hard to be strong when you’ve always been told you are wrong
So you think I’m different to you? Well I think you’re different to me
Too much history’s written by men – move over boys, give us the pen
You have no choice, we will be heard, we’ll find our voice,
We will break free of the box and speak up, speak up, speak up!
It’s time to be strong and prove the haters wrong
EMILY DIMMOCK'S LAMENT
Soloist: Griselda
Soloist: Griselda
In 1907, Emily Dimmock, who some said was a part-time prostitute cheating on her common law husband Bertram Shaw, a railwayman, was murdered in her home in Camden. Her throat was slit, her rooms were ransacked, and her beautiful postcard collection was ruined - but nothing had been taken from the flat, and the motive was a mystery. Police named Robert Wood as the prime suspect, based on his handwriting on a postcard found in Emily's room, but he was acquitted after trial. She was known to be a dutiful housewife to Bert, but when he left for work she returned to her previous calling, apparently missing the entertainment provided by the many public houses in Euston Road. The artist Walter Sickert adopted the phrase ‘The Camden Town Murder’ for a series of etchings, paintings and drawings he made of the murdered Emily. Some believe that Sickert may have been behind the murder himself. In any case, Emily’s killer was never brought to justice.
A postcard of my life I left for you to try and find the answer to the mystery of how I came to die
Abandoned, cut and bleeding, alone in my own bed,
My belongings strewn all over as he left me there for dead
Oh do you hear me calling? Do you hear my song?
No one truly knows my story, for it’s been left for far too long
And when my husband found me he cried real tears of pain - he didn’t know what I did at night, and he weren’t the one to blame
For no one knew my secrets no one knew my life - they only saw a prostitute, and rolled their weary eyes
Oh do you hear me calling? Do you hear my song?
No one truly knows my story, for it’s been left for far too long
Did you know that music played notes of love to me? When I sat at my piano there was freedom in those keys
My precious picture postcards meant all the world to me,
Eeach one held promises of happier times that I would never see
Oh do you hear me calling? Do you hear my song?
No one truly knows my story, for it’s been left for far too long
And I loved my fella deeply, my Bert was all I’d need - but some nights darkness called me, some nights I’d break free
I didn’t sense the danger, I wish I’d never gone,
I miss my room of postcards, I miss my piano song
Oh do you hear me calling? Do you hear my song?
No one truly knows my story, for it’s been left for far too long
Oh do you hear her calling? Do you hear her song?
No one truly knows her story, for it’s been left for far too long
No one truly knows her story, for it’s been left for far too long
Abandoned, cut and bleeding, alone in my own bed,
My belongings strewn all over as he left me there for dead
Oh do you hear me calling? Do you hear my song?
No one truly knows my story, for it’s been left for far too long
And when my husband found me he cried real tears of pain - he didn’t know what I did at night, and he weren’t the one to blame
For no one knew my secrets no one knew my life - they only saw a prostitute, and rolled their weary eyes
Oh do you hear me calling? Do you hear my song?
No one truly knows my story, for it’s been left for far too long
Did you know that music played notes of love to me? When I sat at my piano there was freedom in those keys
My precious picture postcards meant all the world to me,
Eeach one held promises of happier times that I would never see
Oh do you hear me calling? Do you hear my song?
No one truly knows my story, for it’s been left for far too long
And I loved my fella deeply, my Bert was all I’d need - but some nights darkness called me, some nights I’d break free
I didn’t sense the danger, I wish I’d never gone,
I miss my room of postcards, I miss my piano song
Oh do you hear me calling? Do you hear my song?
No one truly knows my story, for it’s been left for far too long
Oh do you hear her calling? Do you hear her song?
No one truly knows her story, for it’s been left for far too long
No one truly knows her story, for it’s been left for far too long
THE PIANO FACTORY WORKERS' SONG
Soloists: Nicola, Cristina, Nicki, Lee, Red
Soloists: Nicola, Cristina, Nicki, Lee, Red
In the late 19th-century, John Rintoul's piano factory housed what is now the Clean Break premises. Between 1850 and 1900, women represented nearly 40% of the workforce, with many jobs taking place in factories such as Rintoul's Piano Factory. However, when soldiers returned from WWI, many of these women were made redundant, and the remaining were forced to work massive overtime. But women like suffragette Lillian Thring, refused to stand aside. She was a leader of the National Unemployed Worker's Movement and was one of a commando of 13 unemployed who occupied a piano factory, persuading workers to refuse the unreasonable overtime, and the management to concede a wage increase. Her campaign earned her the moniker 'Red Rosa - the mystery woman with hypnotic eyes who was behind the unemployed agitation.’
Day in, day out, crafting, carving piano keys we’ll never play
Grafting hard to keep from starving, overworked and underpaid
Our discontent is off the scale,
But we’d better keep a lid on it for fear of getting thrown out on our ear
Day in, day out, crafting, carving piano keys we’ll never play
Grafting hard to keep from starving, overworked and underpaid
Our discontent is off the scale,
But we’d better keep a lid on it for fear of getting thrown out on our ear
Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike!
Day in, day out, crafting, carving piano keys we’ll never play
Grafting hard to keep from starving, overworked and underpaid
Our discontent is off the scale,
But we won't keep a lid on it, no fear - the time for action is here
No more taking the pianissimo, we’re gonna speak up forte fortissimo
And together we’ll stand, upright and grand,
Striking a chord for justice!
Yes, together we’ll stand, upright and grand,
Striking a chord for justice
Grafting hard to keep from starving, overworked and underpaid
Our discontent is off the scale,
But we’d better keep a lid on it for fear of getting thrown out on our ear
Day in, day out, crafting, carving piano keys we’ll never play
Grafting hard to keep from starving, overworked and underpaid
Our discontent is off the scale,
But we’d better keep a lid on it for fear of getting thrown out on our ear
Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike! Strike!
Day in, day out, crafting, carving piano keys we’ll never play
Grafting hard to keep from starving, overworked and underpaid
Our discontent is off the scale,
But we won't keep a lid on it, no fear - the time for action is here
No more taking the pianissimo, we’re gonna speak up forte fortissimo
And together we’ll stand, upright and grand,
Striking a chord for justice!
Yes, together we’ll stand, upright and grand,
Striking a chord for justice
ALL THE WOMEN
Soloists: Griselda, Nicki, Red, Cristina, Lee
Soloists: Griselda, Nicki, Red, Cristina, Lee
The songs in the show breathe life into the stories of many women who lived in and around the area of Kentish Town, where Clean Break is located. Without these women, our piece, and quite possibly our rights as women, would not exist. And so, we bring you 'All the Women' as an homage to those who came before us, who fought, sacrificed, who were misunderstood, whose lives occurred within the crevices of history, and who had dreams like our own. To them we give thanks and appreciation as we sing our hearts out!
All the women who stood up before us - I’m from their fury, I’m from their fight
I feel their blood flowing fast through my veins, I feel their sweat as mine
I feel their tears rising up in my own eyes, their voices echo through time
It’s down to me, it’s down to us to keep the light from dying - we will justify their struggle and strife
It’s down to me, it’s down to us to never ever stop trying - we will justify their struggle and strife,
We will justify their struggle and strife
Every daughter, sister, mother and wife - we will justify their struggle and strife
Every daughter, sister, mother and wife - we will justify their struggle and strife,
We will justify their struggle and strife
Justify, justify, justify their struggle and strife...
I am from the crashing seas of chaos and confusion...
I am from the place of no cuddles...
I am from a place of violence, punched and locked out...
I am from the hopes of those who stood for me...
I am from a warm place inside my mum...
I am from here
It’s down to me, it’s down to us to keep the light from dying - we will justify their struggle and strife
It’s down to me, it’s down to us to never ever stop trying - we will justify their struggle and strife,
We will justify their struggle and strife
Every daughter, sister, mother and wife - we will justify their struggle and strife
Every daughter, sister, mother and wife - we will justify their struggle and strife,
We will justify their struggle and strife, we will justify their struggle and strife
I feel their blood flowing fast through my veins, I feel their sweat as mine
I feel their tears rising up in my own eyes, their voices echo through time
It’s down to me, it’s down to us to keep the light from dying - we will justify their struggle and strife
It’s down to me, it’s down to us to never ever stop trying - we will justify their struggle and strife,
We will justify their struggle and strife
Every daughter, sister, mother and wife - we will justify their struggle and strife
Every daughter, sister, mother and wife - we will justify their struggle and strife,
We will justify their struggle and strife
Justify, justify, justify their struggle and strife...
I am from the crashing seas of chaos and confusion...
I am from the place of no cuddles...
I am from a place of violence, punched and locked out...
I am from the hopes of those who stood for me...
I am from a warm place inside my mum...
I am from here
It’s down to me, it’s down to us to keep the light from dying - we will justify their struggle and strife
It’s down to me, it’s down to us to never ever stop trying - we will justify their struggle and strife,
We will justify their struggle and strife
Every daughter, sister, mother and wife - we will justify their struggle and strife
Every daughter, sister, mother and wife - we will justify their struggle and strife,
We will justify their struggle and strife, we will justify their struggle and strife
This Is Where We're From / All The Women
The Cast:
Andi, Cristina, Griselda, Jo, Kris, Lee, Liz, Maria, Nicola, Nicki, Tracy, Red
(Thanks to Caro, Sue and Laura for their vocals on All The Women)
Lyrics: Morgan Lloyd Malcolm & Suzy Davies
Music: Suzy Davies
Piano & percussion: Suzy Davies
Guitar: Darren Loveday
Sound recording & production: Darren Loveday
All tracks © Clean Break, Suzy Davies & Morgan Lloyd Malcolm 2014. All rights reserved.
The Cast:
Andi, Cristina, Griselda, Jo, Kris, Lee, Liz, Maria, Nicola, Nicki, Tracy, Red
(Thanks to Caro, Sue and Laura for their vocals on All The Women)
Lyrics: Morgan Lloyd Malcolm & Suzy Davies
Music: Suzy Davies
Piano & percussion: Suzy Davies
Guitar: Darren Loveday
Sound recording & production: Darren Loveday
All tracks © Clean Break, Suzy Davies & Morgan Lloyd Malcolm 2014. All rights reserved.