"Sometimes you feel invisible; a hidden voice in the shadows.”
It’s 1839 and Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s Great Western Railway Line is nearly complete apart from the excavation of the Box Tunnel near Swindon. The ‘navvies’ that work on the Box Tunnel live in a cramped shanty home and work long, dangerous hours trying to complete the works, while the locals view them with a mixture of fear and missionary zeal. For their leader Jolly and his quiet wife Lizzie, the end will mean the start of a lifelong dream – a new life together with a farm of their own. But the last few days of the works are complicated and treacherous, and their dreams are achingly fragile.
Meanwhile, in 2015, a group of children play together near the shack where the Navvies once lived. As they delve deeper into the woods, they discover a child, lost, alone and distressed. Who is she and where does she belong?
Two communities from different generations are connected by a coat, a letter and a longing to be heard.
The Federation of Rural Primary Schools in West Berkshire again collaborates with The Watermill in this remarkable project. Featuring over a hundred children from six local village primary schools, this is the performance of a new play, specially written for the children.
The Primary Schools' Production is supported by
The Dr. Mortimer and Theresa Sackler Foundation
Performance Times
Act 1 34 minutes
Interval 20 minutes
Act 2 39 minutes
Written and directed by Heidi Bird
Designed by Libby Todd
Lighting designed by Lawrence T. Doyle