Inn Crowd and South Downs Writer in Residence Sara Clifford has spent the last few months chatting to over 500 people across the Downs – to museum volunteers, school children and pub goers, and at family creative workshops, walking groups and village fetes and has now weaved all the stories she gathered into a one person show, Cherry Soup.
The show will be performed in nine different locations across the South Downs in September.
A Cherry-Seller sits by the side of the road. We’ve all seen them.
People stop, people buy cherries and people chat. They tell their stories: of ancient farms and modern fetes; of lost skills and identities; of overgrown orchards and the ghosts of the villages – and bring new stories, different ideas and different cultures.
Weaving the stories of the people Sara Clifford met during her research as the Inn Crowd Writer in Residence, with tales of the history and culture of the Downs, this one-person show will explore the changing landscapes and populations of the Park – as well as how the history of cherries is also the history of Southern England.
Touring pubs and community venues across the South Downs, performed with text, music and humour, the show will ask questions about the past, present and future of the Park.
This is not about nostalgia – this is a Cherry Soup of a show: sweet and sour and a little unexpected…
Sara Clifford said, ‘The South Downs needs to be conserved, but also dynamic and open to new people coming in with new ideas. It’s not a museum piece! It’s a living, breathing space with many different kinds of people within it. My show reflects this and I hope as many people as possible will spare an hour to come and see it!”
TOUR DATES
Thursday 5th September 8pm @ The White Hart, Pulborough, RH20 1DS www.whitehartpulborough.com
Friday 6th September 8pm @ The Bluebell, Cocking, GU29 OHU www.bluebellhub.org
Wednesday 11th September 8pm @ The Railway Inn, Winchester, SO22 5AE www.railwayinn.pub
Thursday 12th September 8pm @ The Hollist Arms, Lodsworth, GU28 9BZ www.thehollistarms.com
Saturday 14th September 8pm @ The Hope Inn, Newhaven BN9 9DN www.hopeinnnewhaven.co.uk
Sunday 15th September 1pm @ Depot Cinema, Lewes, BN7 2JS www.lewesdepot.org
Thursday 19th September 8pm @ The Plough and Harrow, Litlington, BN26 5RE www.ploughandharrowlitlington.co.uk
Wednesday 25th September 8pm @ Slindon Forge Village Shop & Cafe, BN18 OQT http://www.slindonforge.com
Thursday 26th September 1pm @ Hogmoor Inclosure, Phoenix Arts Centre, Bordon, GU35 0FJ https://www.phoenixarts.co.uk/
Please check directly with venues for booking information.
