Archaeology + Theatre = Woven Bones

Published: 4 April 2018
Reporter: Peter Lathan

The excavation of the soldiers' remains in progress Credit: North News and Pictures
Writer Laura Lindow and director Brad McCormick with Dr Andrew Millard, Dr Anwell Caffell, Prof Chris Gerrard and Richard Annis at the site where the remains were found
Laura Lindow, Greig Adam, Paula Penman, Gemma Stroyan and Brad McCormick

When human remains were found in Durham in 2013, archaeologists from Durham University discovered that they belonged to the long lost Scottish Soldiers, prisoners of war from the 1650 Battle of Dunbar, who were forced to march to Durham and imprisoned in the then-disused Cathedral and Castle.

Now those archaeologists and Newcastle-based theatre company Cap-a-Pie are bringing these 17th century soldiers to life in a new play, Woven Bones, written by Laura Lindow, herself from Scotland but now based in the North East.

“This project brings together so many disciplines,” she said. “The process of the Durham University teams working together to tease out the story of the soldiers has been fascinating, so it’s really exciting to collaborate with them.

"I did some work with the Forensic department at Teesside University years ago, and I was struck by the subject of forensic archaeology and the idea driving it of returning names of missing people to their families. Reading the responses of the Scottish soldiers’ descendants to the discovery of the remains, I can understand now how true this is—people have a real need to settle on what actually happened.”

The play tells how archaeologists used cutting-edge science to give these soldiers back their voices. The Battle of Dunbar only lasted one hour, but for the soldiers that brief hour changed their lives totally. After each performance, audiences will get the chance to meet some of the Durham University team behind the excavation and hear first-hand their unique tale of finding the skeletons and the painstaking work that went into discovering who they really were.

Laura Lindow’s most recent play was The War of the Worlds (at Northern Stage and on tour this year). Other credits include The Rooms 2016 (Alphabetti Theatre), Hey Presto! (tour), Rendezvous (Live Theatre) and Heartbreak Soup (Edinburgh Fringe 2008 and tour 2011).

Cap-a-Pie brings together people of all backgrounds, ages and abilities to create touring theatre and community and education projects, often partnering with those engaged in thinking, learning and discovery, including communities, educators, researchers and scientists.

A regular partnership, since 2013, with Newcastle University involves theatre-based creative workshops for researchers from all disciplines from medics to fine artists, computer scientists to creative writers.

The researcher are then teamed up with experienced performing artists in the region including Martin Hylton, Laura Lindow, Hannah Goudie and Rebecca Louise Collins. At the end of the series of workshops, the researchers performed new pieces of theatre based on their research at Northern Stage.

Other work includes Under Us All (2013), a one-man show, the story of three generations of a Tyneside Irish family, and The Town Meeting (2015), a total immersive piece in which the audience has to take big decisions to decide their own future.

The cast is Gemma Stroyan who was nominated for an Off West End award for her role Emilia in Othello; Paula Penman, originally from Ayrshire and now based in Newcastle, whose credits include The Little Detective Agency (Northern Stage), Donna Disco, Rat Boy (Live Theatre), Brown Bird (Bush Theatre) and Then Leap (The Lowry); and Greig Adam, based in Glasgow, whose work includes Sleeping Beauty (Citizens Theatre) and Miracle on 34 Parnie Street (Tron Theatre).

The production will be directed by Cap-a-Pie’s artistic director Brad McCormick and will have music by Katie Doherty. Design is by Anna Reid.

It will tour to:

  • Bleachingfield Centre, Dunbar (25 June),
  • Elsdon Village Hall, Northumberland (26 June)
  • Alphabetti Theatre, Newcastle-upon-Tyne (27-28 June)
  • The Maltings, Berwick-upon-Tweed (29 June)
  • The Customs House, South Shields (3 July)
  • Arts Centre Washington (5 July)
  • Gala Theatre, Durham (6-7 July)

A related exhibition, Bodies of Evidence: How Science Unearthed Durham’s Dark Secret, will be at Palace Green Library, Durham University from 9 June to 7 October 2018.

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