One of the main events in Hartlepool’s commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War and the infamous bombardment of the town by the German Navy will be Homecoming, a spectacular new outdoor production, in the Headland Town Square on Tuesday 16 December from 6PM to 7PM.
Created by theatre company Periplum, the show will use digital projection, pyrotechnics, specially commissioned music, lighting and other visual effects to tell the stories of local residents’ contributions to the war effort, both on the home front and on foreign battlefields.
The performance has been developed from research material gathered by local libraries and archivists, including interviews with Hartlepool residents, and will include a chorus made up of local people.
Entry to the show is free but is by ticket only. There is a total of 1,650 tickets and they will be available from Hartlepool Art Gallery & Tourist Information Centre in Church Square in a phased release.
The first 500 tickets were released on Thursday 9 October, followed by similar releases on Tuesday 21 October, Tuesday 4 November and Tuesday 18 November.
David Worthington, Hartlepool Council’s Head of Culture and Information, said, "The First World War left millions dead, shattered families, devastated a generation and also brought with it massive social change.
"Homecoming will show the impact of the bombardment and the wider war on the ordinary people of Hartlepool—the civilians, the soldiers and the munitions workers—and pay tribute to their sacrifice, tenacity and bravery.
"Taking place 100 years to the day of the bombardment, the performance is sure to be both dramatic and deeply moving."