'Over by Christmas'

Written by Helen Newall and directed by Matt Baker from 'Theatre in the Quarter', 'Over By Christmas' (OBC) was a site-sympathetic community piece of drama with songs, performed in the autumn of 2014 to commemorate the centenary of the outbreak of World War One. Its focus was on the entrainment of troops bound for the Front at the stations where the piece was performed. It was part of the IWM-led First World War Centenary Partnership Project. OBC was performed forty seven times at twenty five railway stations throughout Cheshire, and also at St Pancras Station in London to over 20,000 people. It involved more than 400 performers and 1,250 school children from across Cheshire. As a result of this project, Newall and Baker were commissioned to make 'Preston Remembers' for the 'Preston Remembers' Project, and 'Your Country Needs You!' for Warrington Borough Council and Warrington Museums for the 2015 Warrington Festival. 'Theatre in the Quarter' was also commissioned to create the dramatic large open-air multi-media live performance work 'Honour', for the Quays Culture event at Salford Quays in August 2014. A further commission saw the creation of 'The Great Send Off'- which involved 700 participants recreating the journey, from Port Sunlight to Chester, of Unilever employees who went off to war in September 1914. 'Over by Christmas' won the 'Performing Arts Category' at the Cheshire West and Chester Arts Awards. It also won 'Best World War One Commemorative Project' at the National Community Rail Awards', held at the Rivivera International Centre in Torquay. The judges described the impact of the project as ‘breath-taking’ (http://www.chesterchronicle.co.uk/news/chester-cheshire-news/theatre-quarter-scoops-national-award-10232493). OBC was additionally shortlisted in the Tourism Experience or Event of the Year category (alongside Jodrell Bank and Tatton Park) in the Marketing Cheshire Annual Awards 2015.