2012 marked the centenary of the sinking of the Titanic — a liner with an enduring relationship to its home port of Liverpool.
From the headquarters of its owners, to the homes of its musicians, the memory of the Titanic is part of the memory of the city itself.
Theatre in the Rough presented a 5-day festival of THEATRE, LIVE MUSIC, ART, AUTHORS' TALKS and an HISTORICAL EXHIBITION, all created locally, to commemorate the anniversary.
The festival took place at Old Christ Church, Waterloo Road, Waterloo, Liverpool, from 3 - 7 July, attracting over 1,000 visitors.
A locally-curated exhibition about Liverpool and the Titanic.
This featured unique artefacts including the dress uniform of the Captain of the Carpathia, national and international newspapers, telegrams, archive film footage, and more.
LIVE THEATRE
7 brand new monologues were produced, based around Liverpool and the Titanic, drawing on real life stories and experiences.
AUDIO THEATRE
7 new 3-minute audio plays, each relating to an artefact in the historical exhibition, were available listening to at the venue.
Listen to the audio plays here
THE MERSEY RIGGER
Acclaimed Liverpool folk band The Mersey Rigger will be played songs from their Titanic-themed piece Queen of the Ocean.
The Mersey Rigger have previously performed at Liverpool's River Festival at the Albert Dock and at the Merseyside Maritime Museum.
Website
Walter Lord, in A Night to Remember, described the sinking of the Titanic as "the last night of a small town".
Drawing on his forthcoming book, Titanic: The Last Night of a Small Town, historian and author John Welshman reconstructed the individual histories of twelve of the inhabitants of this 'small town'.
Dr. John Welshman is Senior Lecturer in History at Lancaster University.
Art
A selection of Titanic-themed paintings were donated by local artists Susan Clayton, Margaret Daly and Bhagyalakshmi Murahari for display.
TIME ASHORE
Liverpool folk band Time Shore played a selection of sea songs and classic Liverpool favourites.
From Leaving of Liverpool to Maggie May, Time Ashore perform hauntingly beautiful music with atmospheric visuals.
Website
The Theatre in the
Rough Festival
is supported by:
Arts Council England
Grants for the Arts
