As Politics veers between tragedy and farce the Red Shed Players
look back to see if the past really does live in the present and what are
the consequences nowWith “Radical Roots”
The Red Shed Players take us back to a
time when the people fought state power with pamphlets and papers
and dancing and singing. Get ready for music, songs, dance and drama
“Radical Roots"
tells the stories of four strong characters who
played important roles in our history: Robert Owen, Feargus O’Connor,
Alice Mann and Emma Martin. Their stories are told in their own words
and through songs from the Chartist hymnbook and poetry of the time.
Chartism and Owenism challenged an obviously corrupt and
increasingly authoritarian political system.
The play explores the origins of Chartism, Socialism, Owenism and
Feminism from four important historical figures with strong links to the
Yorkshire area
Written by Peter Hirst
Music performed and arranged by Dave Hanvey
Radical Roots Reviews
Acclaimed by the people of Derbyshire and Yorkshire. Praised by historians and academics. Generating great interest from all who hear of it.
"I thought the show was brilliant.…the performances were fascinating and educational."
Josh Flint, Senior Librarian Leeds Libraries
"Just brilliant!" "I loved the show; it was so inspirational."
"I didn't know anything about any of these people and now want to research them all!"
'It feels so similar to today, in so many ways.' "The cast was great and really played all of the characters well."
"The best theatre production I've seen in a long time."
"Radical Roots is original, enjoyable and inspirational"
"Working with these brilliant creative writers to use the real words and voices of figures from working class history, was great fun – seeing these voices and characters brought to life before my eyes was even more special."
Dr Vic