THE SHOP
MAY DAY
THE FILWOOD TIMES
FILWOOD ON BROADWAY
WRIT LARGE
HOARDINGS PROJECT
FILWOOD ON BROADWAY
Through the summer we took a different approach to community art making and worked towards an epic community production and meal - Filwood on Broadway - that took place outside on the Broadway on 9th August. This meant Linzy and Rachael shifting their energies towards running creative writing, discussion and theatre workshops with adults and children and then compiling this into a new play, with designer Isabelle Sallis taking the reigns at Thursday club. A summer school hosted in the local primary school hall (thanks Christ the King Schol!) gave us space to create an epic time travel show with live music, costumes, choreography and an old piece of rope. Additional writing was created in a workshop for adults held at the shop, and we consulted with the Filwood Chase History Society to map key local historical events.
Filwood on Broadway took over the street next to the old cinema building site to tell the story of Filwood Broadway through the ages with the help of our trusty time machine the TimeLine 3000, which looks a lot like a piece of rope. From the pre-broadway Jurassic period, via the romans, the writing of the domesday book (KW was called Cnoll), the founding of Knowle West in the 1930s, the swinging 60s and they heyday of Filwood Broadway’s olympic size swimming pool, right up to the current day. We didn’t forget the future either, with a trip to the annual OlympiEgg intergalactic egg and spoon race (Knowle West won, of course, they always do).
This was a full professional-level production with a live score composed by Jack Drewry and performed by Jack and Ellian Showering. Set & costumes were by Isabelle Sallis who also worked with children at Thursday club to produce props and shakers for the show. Performers Alice Freedman, Danny Prosser and Eshiva Wright helped steer the show beautifully and supported our young cast from the stage. And we definitely couldn’t have done any of it without our amazing producer Jazz Loveys.
After the show we invited the audience (104 people!) to join us for a free outdoor feast at a long table set up down the Broadway. We ate chilli and salad, chips and fried chicken, all catered for my traders on the Broadway. Filwood Community Centre ran the bar from our shop, the sun shone, and a merry time was had by all.
I liked how the entertainment could be produced quite simply , largely with a piece of rope & willing participants & great volunteers.
Familiar faces are reassuring & connecting people back to there community in a positive vibe was appreciated & I was made to feel very welcome with my family.
It’s not the type of event I would ordinarily attend but through circumstance I arrived there through the Adult creative writing which I gained a fantastic personal experience which helped me!
Conceived, written and directed by Linzy Na Nakorn & Rachael Clerke
Design & costumes by Isabelle Sallis co-facilitated by Claudia Collins
Music & sound by Jack Drewry & Ellian Showering
Tech support from Jon
Performers Eshiva Wright, Alice Freedman & Danny Prosser with Pam, Ruth and Jim.
Time Team: Ivan, Maia, Lily, Catriona, Astrid, Keeley, Frankie, Hendrix, Brody, Serenity,
Photos by Diego Maeso
Collaborators - The Show
One Love Hub
Young people from the FIM Thursday club
The creative writers: Pam, Ruth, John,
and Rebecca
Filwood Chase History Society
The Filwood Community Centre
Katie, Seth, and Jo at Bristol City Council
Knowle West Media Centre
Christ The King Primary School
Collaborators - The Dinner
Wild West Tattoo
Sandwich Stop
The May Fair
Pizza Plus
The Park
Businesses on The Broadway
Knowle West Alliance