Durham’s Gala Theatre will present 1916: No Turning Back, an immersive theatrical experience based on the Battle of the Somme from Thursday 21 July to Sunday 28 August.
The theatre’s stalls seats will be removed and the auditorium transformed into a walk-through living history set in which audiences will follow in the footsteps of Second Lieutenant Simon Taylor as he signs up, trains and goes ‘over the top’. They will meet other characters along the way including Drill Sergeant Jack Cotton, a Durham postwoman, Sister Bailey (a nurse), and a young woman whose brother has been injured in the Somme.
All of these parts will be played by two actors. There are, in fact, two pairs of actors, Luke Maddison and Samantha Neale along with Lawrence Neale and Anna Nicholson, who will rotate throughout as there will be multiple 40 minute performances each day. They are all local: Luke Maddison is from Sedgefield and Samantha Neale from Gateshead while Lawrence Neale (no relation) is from North Shields and Anna Nicholson from Newcastle.
Durham County Council’s service manager for place and experience, Robin Byers, said, “we are thrilled to have cast such a talented set of actors for these two roles and equally delighted that they are all native to the North East. We are telling the story of a Durham soldier, a fictional character, but very much based on the testimonies of so many who signed up with the DLI Pals regiment and went to fight on the front line with their friends and neighbours from communities all across County Durham.
“Visitors will learn about the life of a soldier,” he added, “but 1916: No Turning Back is also an experience for all the senses with the sights, sounds and smells of war being brought into the auditorium.”