Near to home and further afield

As not everyone subscribes to our newsletter, we’ve taken the liberty of re-publishing Stringer’s recent account of her success in the Big City:

‘This year we celebrate the two hundredth Birthday of Mr Wilkie Collins, and it was an honour for Stringer to be asked to perform at Kensal Green Cemetery, the very place her hero was buried in 1889. Collins had requested that no more than £25 should be spent on his funeral and had composed his own epitaph with the words, ‘Author of “The Woman in White” and other works of fiction.’ But on the day of his funeral a crowd of over one hundred people arrived, many of whom had brought with them a copy of their favourite Collins novel to wave in the air; what a sight that must have been.

My day started with a tour of the cemetery, led by tour guide Irina and her partner. We were taken to the graves of people who had made the 19^th century such an inspiring time: Brunel, Trollop, Thackeray and finally Wilkie Collins.

photo Andrew Gasson

At this point, the Chairman of the Willie Collins Society, Mr Andrew Gasson, kindly produced a bottle of Grant’s whisky for us to toast the Great Man, an act that was extremely joyful and also much needed, with temperatures below zero.

photo Andrew Gasson

After a light lunch, it was time for me to take over with my Wilkie show, and it was a delight performing to such an interesting, informed and welcoming audience. The whole day was a wonderful Victorian dream which I will remember forever. If you’re ever looking for a unique experience in London, Kensal Green Cemetery have regular themed tours and talk days and have a most interesting Facebook page that you can follow: https://www.facebook.com/groups/6393743845

photo Andrew Gasson

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And the near to home bit? We’re on stage in Penzance twice this spring – for a short spot at the Acorn as part of the annual rip-roaring International Women’s Day Cabaret, and at the Theatre Bar, Union Hotel, Chapel Street on Friday April 5th with Laughter of Friends.

Don’t be alarmed by the moustache, which has actually fallen victim to Winds of Change since the photo.

See you there! Use the ‘Contact’ link above to reserve a place

That was… 2023

We’ve had an interesting year

We’ve done workshops, Jessie Borlase, Herbert Thomas… and this autumn, our new show, the Semi-Amphibious Doctor. More details of all these above: just one click away.

We were also delighted to be included in Carn to Cove’s recent ‘scratch’ evening, presenting a short section of material in development to an audience that gave us plenty of useful feedback – much of which we’ll be doing our best to act upon shortly. Thanks to friends old and new who have helped – and we are always happy to receive your comments, with feasible advice on how to improve especially welcome.

The Semi-Amphibious Doctor also took us into a new venue – the Union Hotel Theatre Bar, Chapel Street, Penzance – where we hope to pop up again during 2024.

Photos Kev Camidge

For more photos of the show in performance, click on ‘The Semi-Amphibious Doctor’ on the menu bar above.

2024 is already shaping up. Those irrepressible journalist Friends of Dylan Thomas will be back at Madron on January 8th, and we have a booking for the Isles of Scilly in September – with several other irons in the fire in between. Jak Stringer has also been invited to London to speak to the Wilkie Collins Society

For more detail of our week-to-week, month-to-month and upcoming developments – including other people’s shows and events that we’ve enjoyed or are looking forward to – you need to subscribe to our newsletter. Go on… you know you want to.

Over the Water

We’ve had a busy summer pursuing our own projects, duties etc – but have still found time to get our newsletter out every month – just ask if you’d like to subscribe – and develop a new show. ‘The Semi-Amphibious Doctor’ was premiered at Porthmeor Studios on September 11th as part of the St Ives September Festival

The Porthmeor is one of our favourite venues and we had an enthusiastic audience for the new show, which is about Dr J F Moyle – artist, lecturer and the Isles of Scilly’s resident medical man for most of the later 19th century.

If you missed the show there… head for the Union Hotel, Penzance on the evening of Friday November 24th. Tickets only £5 so you’ll have plenty of cash left over for a drink. Please use ‘contact us’ for the exact start time, and to reserve a seat.

And of course, the show’s not just about J F Moyle… Here are a couple of our other characters. To find out more, go to the show’s dedicated page on the menu bar above.

Other shows are available – and we already have our first bookings for two of them in 2024!

Sprung out

We’ve been quiet on the site for a while – relying more on our monthly newsletters (to join our 90-odd subscribers jus contact lindacamidge@yahoo.co.uk)

But we have indeed been springing out – and here’s a few pictures to show out.

First shoots were two workshops and a show at Penwith College. Working with students was a new departure for us – but they seemed to enjoy it

photo Emma Kelly

And our full spring flowering? That was presenting the same show – Jessie Borlase, the Cornish Florence Nightingale – to Penzance U3A in May.

Thanks to Jacky King for the photos

We got some great feedback and have now created a page for this show, which lasts under an hour and is ideal for small venues. Please contact us if you’re interested!

As you may have gathered, we’re having a bit of a quiet year while we both get on with other work of various kinds – but we’ll be back later in the year!

… And a Happy New Year

Despite postponements, poorly legs and even a Friday 13th performance… we’ve now put Herbert Thomas away after two more successful shows – one at Lamorna Village Hall, and one at St Thomas Church, Heamoor.

Yes, we know it’s January – and in fact ‘Twelfth Night’ had come and gone by the time we hit the stage with our carols, Christmas tree and choruses (‘Five golden rhymes….). But why not banish your inner humbug and enjoy the warm glow of our latest images from the shows

Photo: Kev Camidge

‘Housekeeper’ Stringer, ready for anything – even Herbert Thomas…

We’ve enjoyed these roles and who knows… perhaps Herbert will put in another appearance one Christmas soon.

‘Excellent show! We loved it!’ – ‘Brilliant!’ (audience members, Heamoor); ‘Great show’ (audience member, Lamorna)

Watch out, too, for a review in the next edition of St Thomas’ parish magazine. We’ll post it on the ‘Herbert Thomas’ page of the site as soon as it’s published.

Our last performance for a while was a short presentation about Jessie Borlase for the West Cornwall Parkinson’s Society.

So… what’s next for 2023? Well, we’ve looking forward to working with Penwith College students in late February and early March, and starting to contact venues about some of the shows that we haven’t performed for a while. But our main focus for 2023 will be the ‘three Rs’ – research, revisions and of course some recreation.

And the fourth ‘R’ – the reward? We hope to have something brand new for you later in the year… watch this space!

What an ‘Erbert

We are delighted to present our last show of the year – and our first of 2023

Tickets are on sale now for our shows at Lamorna Village Hall, Friday 13th January 8.00 pm (please note new date) and St Thomas’ Church, Heamoor Saturday14th January 7.00 pm. Tickets are on sale at the door but these are small venues, so be sure of a ticket, you can reserve a seat on 07814 614764.

The show is based around the life of Herbert Thomas, one of the most notable (and noticeable) men in Penzance 100 years ago.

We tell his story via the Twelve Days of Christmas… but as you’ve never heard them before.

Herbert Thomas was a newspaper editor and much, much more – a pivotal and recognisable figure who, rightly, has pride of place on the Parade Street mural which you can’t miss as you walk to the Acorn from Chapel Street, to buy your tickets.

The show includes all the trimmings: video, local history snippets, music – and of course a moustache (for which our hero was famed).

Here’s our trailer for you to enjoy!

Bring on the Bromance

We’re very excited to be off to the Scillies tomorrow – thanks Isles of Scilly Steamship Company for your support – to premiere our latest show for the U3A.

Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins – A Writing Bromance is a ‘performance talk’ – not quite a full drama, but much more than a lecture. Expect humour, pathos, specially made film… and of course, plenty of facial hair as only the Victorians knew how…

You can catch the show at:

• Porthmeor Studios, Monday 19th September 2.30 pm as part of the St Ives Festival (tickets £6 from  Choose Number of Seats – Charles Dickens & Wilkie Collins : Bromance – Cornish Riviera Box Office (patronbase.com) 

• St Just Miners’ Chapel, Friday 23rd September 7.30 pm (tickets £5 available on the door). 

• Falmouth Library Thursday October 20th 2.00 pm (ticket price tba)

• Redwing Gallery Penzance Friday 28th October 7.30 pm (tickets £5 available on the door). 

Goodbye bathing; Hello ‘Bromance’

We’ve survived temperatures in the high 30s – Cornwall’s hotspot on July 18th was Bude, and we were there to perform Pool Under the Prom as a benefit for the Bude Salt Water Pool. The Friends of the Pool https://www.budeseapool.org not only gave us a great welcome – they switched on the air conditioning at the Parkhouse Centre… and in fact some of the audience thought it was a bit chilly.

They were probably the only people in Cornwall to say anything of the sort on July 18th, 2022

It was also great to welcome audiences back to enjoy ‘Pool’ at St Just, Lamorna and Praa Sands. We love performing the show – but it’s time to move on and we have something new for September: a performance talk about two of our favourite Victorians – Charles Dickens & Wilkie Collins – a Writing Bromance. Friends of the Moustache will be delighted to read that we’re already researching our facial hair options – which, Victorian men being Victorian men, are many and varied.

We’ll be performing the talk for the U3A on September 15th – and we’re staying to enjoy a mini-break on St Mary’s while we’re at it. Thanks to the Isles of Scilly Steamship Company for support with our fares. But you don’t have to cross the sea to enjoy Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins – A Writing Bromance. We’ll be at Porthmeor Studios on the afternoon of Monday September 19th, as part of the St Ives Festival – you can buy tickets at https://uk.patronbase.com/_CornishRivieraBoxOffice/Productions/PO08/Performances

We’ll also be at St Just Miners’ Chapel on the evening of Friday September 23rd, and at other local venues – more details and links soon, here and on our Fb page.

You can see our August newsletter at https://mailchi.mp/528863d88821/august

Contact us join our 70-strong list of subscribers

And we’re ready…. for our Jubilee bathe

We can’t wait for July… when the on-stage paddling apparatus, rail of historic bathing costumes and array of early 20th-century songs return to the stage once again for a Jubilee tour of our popular show, Pool Under the Prom. But Penzance’s Jubilee Lido does of course get a mention (and a piece of ‘archive footage’ that also offers our homage to Pathe News), the ‘Pool’ in question is an entirely different one, now vanished.

Here’s our trailer for this season of shows

Oliver Caldwell’s state-of-the-art sea-water baths – described at the time as “a proper bath… in a proper place” – opened in 1887. Later, the Cafe Marina was added at ground level – forming a leisure amenity that occupied the entire space at the end of the promenade, and controlled access to the beach below.

Photo Kevin Camidge

Our characters meet in the changing rooms as young women in 1890, and grow old together – discussing some of the key events in the history of Penzance, and sharing their responses to wars, disasters… and town planning. but there’s also room for music from each era, and of course for the film sequences that have become our trademark.

You can catch the show at:

• St Just Miners’ Chapel  7.30 pm Friday 1st July – tickets from St Just Post Office or on the door
• Lamorna Village Hall 7.30 pm Friday 15th July – tickets on the door or phone  07814614764 to reserve
• Parkhouse Centre Bude 7.30 pm Monday 18th July – tickets from https://www.wegottickets.com/event/543031
• Praa Sands Community Centre 7.30 pm Saturday 23rd July – tickets from https://www.minack.com/whats-on/pool-under-prom

To find out more about the show, including another trailer, reviews and a rather scarey information briefing from a social historian circa 1970, have a look at the Pool Under the Prom dedicated page on this site.

We will also be making a cameo appearance at the Poets of Penzance on Tuesday 5th July at the Admiral Benbow

And if you haven’t yet signed up for our monthly newsletter, History-onics, give it a go! It’s free… and there aren’t even any adverts. Just send us a message via this site or to lindacamidge@yahoo.co.uk

Cheerio for now to those ‘Unhappy Visitors’

We’ve had a great tour – and now have over 50 subscribers to our monthly newsletter. If you’d like to sign up in time for the June edition, please use the ‘contacts’ link on the menu to send us a message.

PISTOV in the office Photo Jacky King

So now we’re packing up our costumes and some of our props – such as Mrs Piozzi’s newspaper, John Davidson’s parcelled-up manuscript and the long-lost rhyming letter from Dylan Thomas

John Davidson – an unhappy visitor in1907
Photo Jacky King

And we’ve consumed the consumables, such as D H Lawrence’s beer, Linda’s hipsterish Red Zinger and George Eliot’s scone: anyone notice whether the cream or the jam went on first?

George Eliot – an unhappy visitor in 1857
Photo Jacky King

And what happened to the ‘posh biscuits’? Well, that’s our secret…

Here are some audience comments:

‘A splendid evening, as always. Thoroughly entertaining’

‘Thoroughly enjoyed it. The footages of the characters being shown the ‘opportunities’ of West Cornwall were really funny. Looking forward to your upcoming productions.’

It isn’t just audience members who are looking forward to our next show… so are we. Our summer tour of ‘Pool Under the Prom’ starts on 1st July at St Just. Full details here soon – and in our June newsletter. So don’t forget to sign up!