Council projects
We develop projects that are to do with building a feeling of being proud to come from Walsall, to live and to work here. We have a number of different approaches, from being involved in developing Council officers’ presentation skills to working on developing creative thinking in the organisation. We have helped to develop and manage the large scale youth involvement project, Ready Steady Summer, and funded and produced the Council's first ever community play, Walsall's War.
Walsall's War
A team of theatre professionals and 100 Walsall young people took to the stage in September 2005 for Walsall’s very first large scale community play. Set in a specially constructed amphitheatre in Walsall Arboretum and watched by some 1000 people, the play told the stories of the experiences of Walsall folk during the second World War.
Walsall's War was dedicated to all Walsall people, from Willenhall to Brownhills, from Pelsall to Pheasey and all points in between, who fought and died or fought and lived through the conflict. Without their sacrifice, their bravery, their determination to see it through, our world would be a very different place today. The play was an attempt to let those who may not be as familiar with those times to relive them through the energetic and committed performances of the young cast.
The play was about the future, too. Walsall has a brave past and the efforts of the cast, musicians, dancers and crew showed Walsall's ability to seize opportunities in both hands and make things happen. As a part of the Ready Steady Summer programme, the play was an opportunity for young actors to have the experience of performing in a large cast, with full technical support, in the open air. These opportunities do not come along every day!
Walsall's War was a real Walsall cultural team effort. The play was funded through a successful Lottery bid, supported by Walsall Council. David Calcutt, a Walsall resident and professional playwrite, researched and wrote the script. History groups across the Borough and the Local Museum service helped him to do this. People who lived through the war wrote in or were interviewed for their stories which formed the basis of the text. Walsall Creative Development Team in partnership with the Events Team and a number of Walsall based artists produced and directed the show.
This page was last updated on 28 May 2008