Eye - 08 March 2013

From Quaker Light to 'The Perfect City'

Quaker Light

Godalming Friends will be celebrating their Meeting house’s 300th anniversary in 2014 and are commemorating this remarkable event by producing a new rose, called ‘Quaker Light’.

The idea stems from Ruth Martin, a local Friend and avid gardener, following her experience of producing two other Quaker-named roses of her own, ‘Quaker Star’ and ‘Abraham Darby’.

‘Quaker Light’ will be a white, scented, disease-resistant floribunda and is intended not only to celebrate the anniversary but also as a form of outreach.

Speaking of the symbolism behind the bloom, Ruth says: ‘I chose a white rose because of the Quaker roots being in Yorkshire and the white rose has always been the symbol of Yorkshire. The name “Quaker Light” was chosen because we felt this would lead to good conversation and questions about Quakerism.’ She adds: ‘The rose is a very hardy floribunda, that is very, if not totally, disease resistant. So, this will be good for Meeting house gardens where plants often get quite neglected.’

Flower fans will need to be patient as ‘the rose has not been born yet… the breeder, Ronnie Rawlins, who is a member of the Amateur Rose Breeders Association, is based in Yorkshire and will start the budding in May. That is why there is a time limit for orders’.

Those interested in placing an order must contact Ruth by the end of April 2013, via email at ruth.quakerhealer@talktalk.net or by writing to The Quaker Meeting House, The Mint, Mill Lane, Godalming, Surrey GU7 1HB. The rose will be available in November 2014.

The Perfect City

‘A utopia where war is ended, there are no weapons and people are free to meet, trade and worship as they please.’

William Penn has inspired many over the years. Now he and his vision for Pennsylvania have sparked a creative flame in the new musical, The Perfect City.

The show is the brainchild of Martin Coslett and it all sprang from a visit to Jordans Meeting House many years ago. ‘Seeing the gravestones of William’s family led me on a research expedition. I was so intrigued by the size of his family (and all the gravestones) and of what he had achieved in his lifetime.’

This expedition ended up spanning eight years and an ocean! It took him to Friends House, he spoke with playwright Kate Price (who wrote The Passionate Englishman), has visited the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia and immersed himself in the writings of William Penn and Francis Pastorius.

It has also been a very collaborative process, Martin explains: ‘The staff and students at the Royal Academy of Music have been fantastic and helped with realising some of the musical numbers. A workshop at Central School of Speech and Drama before that helped confirm my ideas on the style of the piece.’

The latest draft of the book and lyrics have been written by Ross Clark and Martin Coslett. Now the creative team – including Andrew Miller (director), Gemma Hawkins (musical director) and Clive Burton (additional lyrics) – are hard at work with final preparations for its upcoming premiere.

Martin hopes that audiences will ‘understand the personal sacrifice that was made to create the city and colony… [and] William’s vulnerability amidst the pressures of the society of the time. Nearly three hundred years after William Penn’s death his story still resonates. Many of us strive for the values of freedom and fairness in our own less than perfect cities that he tried to achieve in Philadelphia and Pennsylvania.’

The Perfect City will be showcased at the Etcetera Theatre in London, on 17 and 18 March. For details visit: http://bit.ly/PerfectCityMusical

When you feel that everyone’s against you
When you hear the knocking at the door
Do not be afraid, there is hope at hand
Open up the feeling let the light shine once more.

Extract from ‘The Inner Light’.
Courtesy of Martin Coslett/Ross Clark.

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