For the Fallen Comes to Campbell Park

Westbury arts centre dance

Experience a large-scale commemorative dance at Campbell Park against the backdrop of 500 hand-made banners all inspired by WW1.

Sunday 5th July – FREE Event – two performances at 3pm and 5pm.

Westbury Arts Centre have been working with talented textile artist Vinny Stapley, schools, community groups and residents of Milton Keynes, between then they have produced over 500 commemorative banners. These banners will form part of a large-scale dance piece, choreographed by Helen Parlor, Effie McGuire-Ward and Chris Bradley, that involves over 100 dancers and will move around Campbell Park. Inspired by stories from the Great War and addressing themes of conflict, this will be a beautiful act of commemoration.

The banners will also be displayed at Westbury Arts Centre from 11th – 31st July.

For more information about the Great War MK project please visit our blog.

Festive Road need Great War MK Performers

great-war-mk-logo-finalWe are looking for professional performers with a physical theatre background to be part of our Great War MK ‘Best Company’ performance in a tank.  You will need to  commit to specific rehearsal and performance dates. Please be aware that we anticipate a few more dates will be added to the tour schedule over the next month but that the show will only be available to tour between 19th June and 12th September 2015.

You’ll need to be used to working in a collaborative way and if you have any contemporary clown training this would also be desirable. For more information and details of how to apply download the: FR GWMK Call for performers


Best Company

A Physical Theatre show produced by Festive Road

A very funny take on a very real struggle as four friends get a WW1 tank into battle.
The Best Company are on their way to the Western Front but the external conflict is not the only thing occupying the crew’s thoughts. As we see, life inside the Mark 1 tank is busy, noisy and smelly. Tension among the company escalates and a hilarious and bizarre internal conflict occurs.

As the tank spins, the characters actions become more and more surreal… war is declared and the engine judders to a holt!

Will the Best Company get the Tank started again? Will they make it to the front line? Come and find out…

Sew, Stick or Knit a Poppy for the Great War MK Project

Poppies The Arts and Heritage Alliance MK is looking for groups and individuals to create and donate poppies, to be added to a WW1 centenary banner. Part of Westbury Arts Centre’s Banner Project, these banners will be included in an act of commemoration on 5th July at Campbell Park. This event will explore themes of conflict, involving over 100 dancers at Campbell Park – everyone is welcome.

To get involved: Find some fabric and cut out a poppy using the template provided on our website (or alternatively crochet or knit a poppy). Embroidery or sparkle can be added, as well as the name of a relative or local person that was involved in WW1. Photos of the poppies can be shared at www.Facebook.com/GreatWarMK or on Twitter using #GreatWarMK). Finally attach the slip from the Poppy Brief to the poppy and put them in a poppy collection box at your local MK Library. The deadline is 12 June 2015.

AHA would also love to hear any stories about relatives or local people that served in WW1.

The Poppy Brief and Poppy Template can be found here: www.greatwarmk.wordpress.com/poppies-call-out

Great War MK is a project exploring the impact of the First World War on the communities of Milton Keynes through research, commemorative events, activities and community workshops: www.GreatWarMK.wordpress.com

Please contact Lallie for more information: aha-mk@milton-keynes.gov.uk

Replica tanks, street theatre and commemorative dance for Great War MK

For the Fallen
For the Fallen

How about seeing a bit of theatre in a full-size replica 1st World War tank? Or watching a commemorative dance with hand-made banners? Or perhaps participating as an Old Time Music Hall audience – letting the performers know what you think of their acts! New music from young musicians, new film shows of the Great War era, extraordinary installations and exhibitions – all these are part of the Great War MK project about to explode on the Milton Keynes community.

Great War MK is a collaborative project led by the Arts & Heritage Alliance Milton Keynes (AHA-MK). It explores the impact of the First World War on the communities of Milton Keynes – an area now covering six towns, 41 villages and 1/4 million people – through research, commemorative events, participatory learning activity and community workshops. During 2015 Great War MK will be presenting events and opportunities for people to explore and commemorate the lives and the stories of the Great War.

With funding from Heritage Lottery Fund and seed-funding from MK Council, this project brings together various arts and heritage organisations, which are all exploring WW1 themes and using different methods to tell stories. The partner organisations are: Cowper and Newton Museum, Deanshanger Village Heritage Society, Festive Road, Independent Cinema Milton Keynes, Living Archive, MK Gallery, Pepper’s Ghost Theatre Company, Westbury Arts Centre through support from MK Heritage Association: Bucks Constabulary Museum, North Crawley Historical Society and Simpson History Group.

Great War MK aims to work with people of all ages and abilities, providing opportunities to take part in workshops, and activities are now developing. To find out more see our events page and Facebook or follow @AHA_MK #GreatWarMK on Twitter. You can also hear more about the projects on our Vimeo page.

Alongside these events, Great War MK is also putting a call out to any community groups or individuals that want to be part of this large-scale project: we want you to create and donate your very own hand-made poppy to be added to a WW1 banner. Using the sewing template found here (or by knitting or crocheting), we are asking for as many people as possible to create a poppy that will be included in banners used as part of an act of commemoration in July at Campbell Park. To find out more please see the blog.

Marion Hill, author and Chair of the Great War MK Steering Group says: ‘Even after a hundred years, the Great War continues to move and inspire – and with the wealth of talented people that we have here in Milton Keynes, we look forward to so much more to reflect upon – because Milton Keynes does it differently!’

The stories of Milton Keynes in WW1, of those that went off to fight, those that stayed behind and of those that did not return will be commemorated through this project and we invite all residents of Milton Keynes to remember them with us by attending a workshop or event, making a poppy or by volunteering with us – get in contact via: aha-mk@milton-kenyes.gov.uk .

Milton Keynes Book of Days of the Great War Launch Offer

The Milton Keynes Book of Days of the Great War, launched in early November by Living Archive, is available at £14.99 until 30th November… after which rrp £20 applies.

It covers all six towns and 41 villages of the MK Borough, and every date of the year during the years 1913 -1919.

There are sample pages on  http://www.greatwarmemoriesmk.co.uk/uploads/3/0/1/4/30144729/january.pdf

… and see attached Book of Days Leaflet.

Georgian Tea Party at Cowper and Newton Museum

CNM IMG_20140322_134117Following on from the successful event last year, Cowper and Newton Museum will again be holding a Georgian Tea Party.  Join them for tea and cakes (made to authentic Georgian recipes!) in the gardens of the Museum. Some of the Museum staff and volunteers will be in Georgian costume, as will the Barbara Segal Dance Group who will be performing Georgian dances in the Courtyard, as well as mingling with visitors in the Museum.  If you fancy coming in Georgian costume too, please do!

When: 30th August

Where: Cowper and Newton Museum, Olney

Find out more: http://www.cowperandnewtonmuseum.org.uk