Flowers of the Field

Oh, thyme it is a precious thing,
And thyme it will grow on,
And thyme it'll bring all things to an end,
And so does thyme grow on...

You're unlettered, unskilled, and already pledged in marriage...yet you don't even know who you really are, what life is, or what it could even be...

 

You're scholarly, awkward, shy but scarred...and in a remote corner of autumnal England you come seeking secret music, secret truths... a secret Eden...

 

Flowers of the Field is a new play telling an old story – the story of the search for the roots of English music through the almost-lost folk songs of England – and through them, for a lost Arcadia... It's a quest that has haunted English art and imagination for centuries – from Thomas Malory through Wordsworth, Blake and Samuel Palmer right through to the present day...

 

“Kevin's play, with its echoes of lives wasted and destroyed far away from the centre of historical events, is an absolute gem. I won't give away any more of the story, but this script richly deserves a full performance.” http://blackpig.typepad.com/john_morrison/2013/06/flowers-of-the-field.html

Flowers of the Field shows how music once gave voice to otherwise silent people and communities. It tells the story of the attempt to create a sense of cultural Englishness, and to call on rural communities as the source of “authentic” folk memory at a time of war, industrialisation and European nationalism.

But more importantly...it is a funny, touching, and moving story that will haunt you for years....

The White Bear Theatre (www.whitebeartheatre.co.uk) has won numerous awards and has been described as “South London’s New Writing powerhouse” – The Stage. The Director of the play, David Cottis, is a veteran of many productions there and elsewhere, and the founder of his own company Instant Classics.(www.instantclassics.co.uk). He is also a passionate folk-music enthusiast.

We'll be producing Flowers of the Field at the White Bear Theatre this summer, and while it's definitely a labour of love, we still need to dig deep in order to make it happen at all, with costs covering everything from theatre and set hire, to costumes, lighting, sound, print and publicity. A few passionate believers in the play have already given very generously, but we still have a long way to go to make everything happen...So if you can help too, with anything from a tenner upwards, you'll be making a very real contribution....

“It's a deceptively simple play that packs a huge emotional punch. It's understated in the same way that Chekhov's plays are understated, with full rounded characters, wonderful dialogue that never strays out of period, and real dramatic life...”

http://blackpig.typepad.com/john_morrison/2013/06/flowers-of-the-field.html

 

To see how you can help, just check the categories. Oh, and by the way, EVERY donor will be entered into a raffle to win a hardback copy of The New Penguin Book of English Folk Songs by Steve Roud and Julia Bisho , described by The Times as “A triumphant addition to the English folk canon, both as a source of reference and as an endlessly enjoyable collection to dip into...”

Once I had a sprig of thyme.
It prospered night and be day;
Till a false young man came a-courting to me,
And he stole all me thyme away.