I’m just back from a few days on the Northumberland Coast. Before going I was in the midst of completing of an Arts Council evaluation – not the most inspiring piece of writing to complete! There’s nothing like striding along empty beaches under vast skies to put a fresh perspective on things.
Walking between Sugar Sands and Craster, a new stretch for me, we turned the corner into an inlet where the beach had largely given way to rocks and retaining walls. I stayed here for a while and studied the layers which had been exposed by time and tide – the strata of the rocks, the slicing of the dunes, moss and seaweed, bottle tops and bits of rope, the crow and the oystercatcher.
In writing, the more I take the time to look, the more layers I see – a rich collage to draw upon. Your dramatic narrative should be like an erosion, a process of washing away over time, a revelation of the complex layers. What is revealed can be fascinating, unexpected and very rewarding.
Here in the North East we move amongst such richness of heritage and culture, that it’s easy to take such things for granted or pass them by without taking stock of the significance, not just locally but globally. And so it is with Dial Cottage in Killingworth; You could easily walk past this humble building and not realise that it was home to George Stephenson, one of the world’s foremost pioneers in engineering, who built the first working steam locomotive Blucher in its back yard which brought about a seismic shift in the world as it was then. If you closer, you will notice that above the door there is sundial, not just any sundial, but one that was designed and built by Robert and his son George in 1816.
To celebrate its 200 years anniversary, champions of North East heritage, Keith Armstrong and Peter Dixon of Northern Voices Community Projects have put together an exquisite book Follow the Sun, which gives a history of the sundial as well as words and pictures by local people. I have been honoured to contribute a poem, Passing Through, to the book, which also includes work from listenupnorth favourites Keith himself, Dave Alton, G.F. Philips, Robert Lonsdale, Noreen Rees and Steve Brown.
Thanks go to Keith and Peter for organising a fantastic launch at Dial Cottage with readings of stories and poetry (is there a collective noun for writers?) and music and lyrics especially composed by Gary Miller plus the Sawdust Jacks and Anne Sessoms on Northumbrian Pipes.
It was a joyful morning, catching up with old friends, making new ones and hearing their work. It was also very moving to read out your piece in the very room where George Stephenson lived and worked.
Follow the Sun is available through North Tyneside Libraries price £3.50
Dial Cottage is open today (Sunday 11th September) for Heritage Open Day. For details CLICK HERE
https://rachelcochrane.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/Sun-dial-Dial-Cottage-LUN.jpg600600Rachel Cochranehttps://rachelcochrane.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Rachel_cochrane_logo_hori_2.jpgRachel Cochrane2016-09-11 09:09:022016-09-11 09:09:02Follow the Sun
Ever Rolling Stream is a play about WW1 although it is set in the present day.
It was inspired by the theft of the plaque bearing the names of the fallen of WW1 from our village war memorial.
This prompted the local history society, of which I was a member, to research the names of the fallen and the part they played in the local community.
The story is set in the fictional village of Stockswell and centres around single mother Judith as she struggles to allow her teenage son to make his own decisions. Judith is also on the local committee to research the names of those who went to war from their village and never came back. They uncover the mystery Charles Kilvington-North who used to live in Judith’s house.
If any drama groups are interested in performing Ever Rolling Stream please get in touch. It is written for a mixed age cast of 5 male and 6 females but there is a degree of flexibility in that and I would be happy to advise.
To read a sample of the script at stageplays.com CLICK HERE
https://rachelcochrane.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/Fotolia_67298928_XS-2.jpg283424Rachel Cochranehttps://rachelcochrane.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/04/Rachel_cochrane_logo_hori_2.jpgRachel Cochrane2016-08-13 18:12:162016-08-13 18:37:20'Ever Rolling Stream' a stage play
Layer Cake
/in Rachel Cochrane Writer /by Rachel CochraneI’m just back from a few days on the Northumberland Coast. Before going I was in the midst of completing of an Arts Council evaluation – not the most inspiring piece of writing to complete! There’s nothing like striding along empty beaches under vast skies to put a fresh perspective on things.
Walking between Sugar Sands and Craster, a new stretch for me, we turned the corner into an inlet where the beach had largely given way to rocks and retaining walls. I stayed here for a while and studied the layers which had been exposed by time and tide – the strata of the rocks, the slicing of the dunes, moss and seaweed, bottle tops and bits of rope, the crow and the oystercatcher.
In writing, the more I take the time to look, the more layers I see – a rich collage to draw upon. Your dramatic narrative should be like an erosion, a process of washing away over time, a revelation of the complex layers. What is revealed can be fascinating, unexpected and very rewarding.
Follow the Sun
/in Uncategorised /by Rachel CochraneHere in the North East we move amongst such richness of heritage and culture, that it’s easy to take such things for granted or pass them by without taking stock of the significance, not just locally but globally. And so it is with Dial Cottage in Killingworth; You could easily walk past this humble building and not realise that it was home to George Stephenson, one of the world’s foremost pioneers in engineering, who built the first working steam locomotive Blucher in its back yard which brought about a seismic shift in the world as it was then. If you closer, you will notice that above the door there is sundial, not just any sundial, but one that was designed and built by Robert and his son George in 1816.
To celebrate its 200 years anniversary, champions of North East heritage, Keith Armstrong and Peter Dixon of Northern Voices Community Projects have put together an exquisite book Follow the Sun, which gives a history of the sundial as well as words and pictures by local people. I have been honoured to contribute a poem, Passing Through, to the book, which also includes work from listenupnorth favourites Keith himself, Dave Alton, G.F. Philips, Robert Lonsdale, Noreen Rees and Steve Brown.
Thanks go to Keith and Peter for organising a fantastic launch at Dial Cottage with readings of stories and poetry (is there a collective noun for writers?) and music and lyrics especially composed by Gary Miller plus the Sawdust Jacks and Anne Sessoms on Northumbrian Pipes.
It was a joyful morning, catching up with old friends, making new ones and hearing their work. It was also very moving to read out your piece in the very room where George Stephenson lived and worked.
Follow the Sun is available through North Tyneside Libraries price £3.50
Dial Cottage is open today (Sunday 11th September) for Heritage Open Day. For details CLICK HERE
‘Ever Rolling Stream’ a stage play
/in Rachel Cochrane Writer /by Rachel CochraneEver Rolling Stream is a play about WW1 although it is set in the present day.
It was inspired by the theft of the plaque bearing the names of the fallen of WW1 from our village war memorial.
This prompted the local history society, of which I was a member, to research the names of the fallen and the part they played in the local community.
The story is set in the fictional village of Stockswell and centres around single mother Judith as she struggles to allow her teenage son to make his own decisions. Judith is also on the local committee to research the names of those who went to war from their village and never came back. They uncover the mystery Charles Kilvington-North who used to live in Judith’s house.
If any drama groups are interested in performing Ever Rolling Stream please get in touch. It is written for a mixed age cast of 5 male and 6 females but there is a degree of flexibility in that and I would be happy to advise.
To read a sample of the script at stageplays.com CLICK HERE