Flood survivor’s memories in the spotlight
Roger Bean of Walcott was just seven years old when the flood surge of 1953 devastated his village. Now aged 70 Mr Bean has been sharing his memories of that catastrophic night with the members of a theatre company who are preparing a new touring production about the events of January 31st 1953.
Norfolk-based fEast Theatre has developed a reputation for high quality touring theatre specialising in themes and stories from the eastern region. The company is currently collecting recollections of those who experienced the floods first hand and is planning to weave those memories into the script of their new play Winter ’53.
Interviewed this week by fEast writer Rob John and director Mandy McKenna in his home in Coast Road just two doors from the cottage in which he’d lived as a child, Mr Bean recalled that fateful Saturday night when 307 people on the east coast of England were drowned.
‘It’s the little things that make the memories so vivid and dramatic,’ said Mandy McKenna. ‘Roger was able to give us a seven year old’s recollection of the sound of the wind, a knock on the door late at night and his shock when he found that the road he walked each day to school had just vanished in the night. We’ll definitely be using some of those memories in our show.’
fEast Theatre is eager to meet other people who experienced first-hand the floods of ’53. Anybody willing to share their memories with fEast Theatre can contact Mandy McKenna on 07799 191 492 or mandy.mckenna@icloud.com
More information:
Many McKenna, mandy.mckenna1@btinternet.com / 07799 191492 or www.feasttheatre.com.
Notes for editors:
fEast Theatre Company was formed by Mandy McKenna and Rob John in October 2010 with a commitment to developing and showcasing new work by professional writers, actors and directors from Norfolk and the Eastern region. “We have set out to create work which examines themes, characters and narratives which resonate for the people of the East and to tour that work to the widest possible range of venues in our region,” says Mandy.
fEast made its name with two critically acclaimed productions, ‘Canada Boys’ and ‘Parachute’, both of which explored Norfolk themes. The third play in writer Rob John’s trilogy is Winter 53, about the floods of 1953. It will tour the region in April 2016.
fEast is also looking for sponsors to help fund the 2016 tour of Winter 53. Anyone interested in finding out more about the opportunities for sponsors should contact Mandy.