£40,000 of funding is coming to the Island through an Arts Council National Lottery Project Grant.
Carisbrooke Castle Museum have been awarded this ‘Unlocking Collections’ fund, open to museums to increase public engagement, to enable them to share their Island Voices oral history archive through contemporary theatre practice over the next year.
About the funding
During the 80th anniversary of VE Day in 2025 the museum interviewed 20 Islanders about their childhood memories of the Second World War.
This adds to an already significant number of local wartime voices in oral history interviews the museum holds.
Collecting the wartime stories
These wartime stories will be transformed into a live verbatim theatre performance created with young people.
The project combines heritage engagement, contemporary theatre practice and socially engaged participation to create meaningful cultural experiences.
A partnership in performance
The museum will work with community and creative partners to undertake the project including StoneCrabs Theatre, a grass roots theatre company based on the Isle of Wight creating ambitious new theatre inspired by untold stories.
Lisa Kerley Project Manager at Carisbrooke Castle Museum said,
“We are delighted to be able to undertake this project, which is a culmination of our work to collect and share personal memories of this period in our Island’s history. For an audience to hear the voices of our interviewees on stage, their words spoken by young people, is just so exciting.
“We want to make our museum and collections accessible, visible and relevant and we hope that this project does exactly that. We are incredibly grateful to our partners and funders without whom we could not undertake this work.”
Involving young people
Pupils from the Island Free School will be benefiting from a year long drama and history enrichment programme as part of the project. Other young people across the Island will be involved through specialised verbatim theatre workshops based on the museum’s collections.
Franko Figueiredo Artistic Director of StoneCrabs Theatre said,
“We’re delighted and proud to be partnering with Carisbrooke Castle Museum on ‘VE80: Unlocking Stories on Stage’. Real people’s voices are at the heart of StoneCrabs’ work, and this project offers a wonderful opportunity for young people to explore the Island’s wartime history through the words and memories of Islanders who lived it.
“What excites me most is the connection between generations; listening to one another, creating together and discovering how personal memories shape our shared history. We look forward to supporting young people to develop their confidence and creativity whilst sharing these remarkable Island stories with wider audiences”.
News shared by Lisa on behalf of Carisbrooke Castle Museum and Stonecrabs Theatre. Ed
