barramundi

The Background
In 1997 Barrow Borough Council asked The Ashton Group to produce a community play for Barrow. What eventually became Barramundi took 3 years of community development and fundraising. Instead of one big show we decided it might be better to make a number of smaller shows so that lots of people could be involved at all kinds of different levels, and that there should be lots of writers involved to give a wide range of voices. On this principal we put together a mixture of writers from Barrow itself and from outside the town. So alongside Barrow’s Sarah Miller, Kate Davies, Phil Gregg and John Hall are Julia Darling from Newcastle and Kevin Fegan from Manchester. Added to this mix, some of the performers devised their own material, young people from Ormsgill and Barrow Island and the members of Barrow Deaf Drama Group.

Some of the Barramundi stories were based loosely on real events, some were entirely fictional but set in real places around the town. They were imagined happenings, stories spun out, gossip and tall tales such as you might hear told in any playground, bar, supermarket checkout or doctors waiting room across the town.

The nine plays that made up Barramundi were performed over three nights at Forum 28 in Barrow in 2000.

The Barramundi Story
The statue of m’Lord Jim Ramsden decides that, as it’s the millennium, he should come down off his plinth on Ramsden Square and have a look round the town to see how it’s progressed since his namesake was living. With his best mate, the statue of m’Lord Fred Cavendish, he’s about to set off on a walkabout when Mr Schneider pops round with some disturbing new . . . someone is already doing an audit of the town. It turns out that non other than the Angel Gabriel has set up office in the Town Hall and, with the help of 2 ghosts on work placement, Gary and Doug, is doing his own research into the lives of Barrow’s populace. Gary and Doug are sent off on a mission to hear the nine tales of barrow . . . meanwhile they have their own stories to tell.

Follow the link to each night

Night One -Young Voices

The Bull, the Pull and the Strip

Barrmundi linking stories Dead Man's Spanners by John Hall and M'Lord Ramsden and Friends by Phill Gregg

THE PRODUCTION TEAM
Artistic Director Rachel Ashton
Associate Director Sarah Miller
Assistant Director Phill Gregg

Design Andrew Wood
Production Manager Gary Bridgens
Lighting Design Dave Hill
Deputy Stage Manager Alina Hutchinson
Sound Urban Voice, Manchester (Andy Williams and Tyndale Thomas)

As part of Barramundi, The Ashton group ran an Intergenerational Choir project in partnership with Ormsgill Primary School, Age Concern (Building Bridges Project) and Urban Voice. Sarah Miller ran creative lyric writing workshops with a mixed group of Year 6 pupils and senior citizens. The songs reflected the different views of Barrow across the generations and celebrated their shared experience of the town.

Tyndale Thomas of Manchester's Urban Voice put the lyrics to music and the finished songs where then recorded onto CD in the studio at Lantern House in Ulverston. The choir's work is part of the National Foundation for Youth Music's, 'Singing Challenge'.

STATISTICS AND OUTCOMES
Number of Participants 205
Audience Members 2171

Breakdown of Participants by Age
Children (Under 14) 90 (44%)
Young Adults (15 – 24) 70 (34%)
Adults (25+) 45 (22%)

Breakdown of Audience by Age
Children (Under 14) 667 (31%)
Young Adults (15 – 24) 709 (33%)
Adults (25+) 795 (36%)

WHAT THEY SAID ABOUT BARRAMUNDI

‘I went in like a mouse and came out like a lion’
Karen Thompson, cast member of Dangerous Business

' . . . missing just one night of Barramundi was a disaster, being part of it was magic and everyone wants more'.
North West Evening Mail

'I really enjoyed the three nights; the atmosphere created in the Forum was electric, the performances were well thought out and often touching.'
Julie Gregg Audience member

'Barramundi was the first time I had been to see a theatre production, it was an amazing way to start. I hope to repeat the experience soon'.
Paul Watt, Audience member

'I'm proud to be in it. It makes me feel like I've worked at something and people can see what we've done'.
Cast member of Sherbet.

' . . . beautifully performed, cleverly linked and technically awesome.'
North West Evening Mail

'Congratulations and thanks for a really enjoyable evening. The people of Barrow should be very proud of their achievements. I only wish I could see the other two nights of work. The quality of writing and the acting was great with some fantastic one liners'.
Diane Fisher-Naylor
Lottery Officer, Northern Arts

'The best part of working with the children was listening to their ideas and realising that we could all enjoy doing the same things'
Age Concern participant in the Intergenerational Choir.

' . . . if you are not part of it, you must at least see it.'
North West Evening Mail