Home Fires

'Home Fires' was a theatre project produced in 2015, which focused on the local history of World War One in Newhaven, East Sussex. We collected oral histories and interviews from local people before offering themed creative writing, drama, dance, music and archaeology workshops with various community groups, alongside desk-based research and local history. With the idea conceived by Sara Clifford, she then wrote a script informed and inspired by these stories. Directed by Terry O’Donovan, the performance was delivered by a small professional creative team, augmented by local actors, dancers and musicians, as a site-responsive promenade play that drew on text, sound and visual projections to create a haunting story of love and loss. The project partnered with Zap Art and was funded by the National Heritage Lottery Fund, Arts Council England, East Sussex County Council, Lewes District Council, Seaford and Newhaven Town councils, Community Covenant, Newhaven Fort/Wave Leisure and the South Downs National Park Authority. It also gained support and input from the 'Gateways' Engagement Centre at the University of Kent and the University of Brighton's Centre for Research in Memory Narrative and Histories, as well as several community partners including Blind Veterans UK, First Base homelessness centre, along with Studio Tempo, Art Start, Wrightway Dancers, City College Brighton and Hove, Brighton Belles, Haven Harmonies, Sussex Swing, Harbour Primary School and Seahaven Academy. As part of the project, we created two resources packs for schools, one for primary and one for secondary. We additionally delivered a series of open-access events, information days, talks and exhibitions in collaboration with artists, heritage organisations and other partners. Over one thousand participants were estimated to have taken part in our community engagement programme and the performance itself. A review from The Argus recorded that 'Sara Clifford’s script delicately explores the mixed emotions on the home front through a local family, soldiers stationed in Seaford, and Newhaven’s telegram girl, Grace Crismas.' Please see attached final report for full details, including feedback and evaluations from participants.