StageFOCUS: The Tom Hadaway Festival - Fair Do's / Let The Child Sing

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Tom Hadaway Festival

The Poisoned Philosopher

The Filleting Machine

The Villainous Vocalist

Gold Diggers of 1999

Habeas Corpus

This Summer's Loving Cup / Upstairs At The Hotspur

Members

The Tom Hadaway Festival

Tom Hadaway
Photo: Moira Conway

The Tom Hadaway Festival involved several theatre companies around the region.
StageFOCUS toured two of Tom's earlier and shorter plays

3rd October 2003 - The Bay Horse, Stamfordham
4th October 2003 - The Knott Hall, Heddon on the Wall
9th October 2003 - The Magnesia Bank, North Shields
10th and 11th October 2003 - The Buddle Arts Centre, Wallsend
18th October 2003 - The Castle Keep, Newcastle
24th October 2003 - The Caedmon Hall, Gateshead
29th October 2003 - Washington Arts Centre, Washington

If you came to see the performance, please send us feedback!

Fair Do's tells the story of a shipwright, George Haslem, from Whitby who moves to Shields and enters into a partnership agreement with a Mr. Merrow, a ship's chandler. They buy a coble between them, each putting in £30. Merrow equips it and Haslem does the fishing, splitting the catch between them.

When tragically Haslem dies, Mary his wife refuses to sell his half of the boat for the £10 offered by Merrow and as she can't reach an agreement with him, she saws the boat in half!

Let The Child Sing is set ten years after the calamitous loss of the medieval Tyne Bridge in the great flood of 1771. The monumental causeway that stood for 500 years linking the North and South banks of the river and providing along its length the dwellings, workshops and premises for several hundred of the town's citizens was swept away one bleak night.

Two soldiers of fortune arrive at the harbour mouth town of Shields, commissioned to search for a boy reportedly plucked from the river as a baby in a cot. At a time of social disorder and persecution, will the child be restored to its origin or remain with those who rescued him and brought him up?

Production
Director / Producer - Paul Curtis

Fair Do's
Susan Collings - Mary Haslem
Katie / Victoria Collings - Mary's Daughter

Let The Child Sing
Dick Curran - John Hardwick
Bill Pickard - Captain Saville
Mark Punton - Prestcott
Lewis Sherlock - David Hardwick
Diane Trevena - Mabel Hardwick
David John Watton - Henry

The Crew
Costumes - Ashley Smith
Lighting / Sound Operation - Paul Curtis
Front of House - Diane Pickard and Alex, Annelleise Trevena

Media

Character Portraits
Susan Collings
Victoria Collings
Dick Curran
Bill Pickard
Mark Punton
Lewis Sherlock
Diane Trevena
David John Watton

Performance Photos - Fair Do's
Mary Haslem and her daughter
Mary weaves a net
Mary recounts the disaster

Performance Photos - Let The Child Sing
Henry warns John of the soldiers
Captain Saville suspects a child is concealed
Prestcott threatens John
Saville demands to see the boy
Mabel pleads that Saville hears David sing
The child sings

Extras
Empty set 1
Empty set 2
Lighting board
All hands on deck!

Thanks

Viv Fitzpatrick
Mike and Rose Furlonger
Pat and George at Brunswick Methodist Church
George from Longbenton Community Centre
Colin Stephenson
All the venue staff
The Festival organisers

* visits