Journeymen Theatre closes

‘We would like to add not a “farewell” but a “Fair Well” to all Quakers the length and breadth of the UK who work tirelessly and often under the radar for the human rights that our plays have highlighted over the years.'

Journeymen Theatre has given its last performance, after thirteen years of touring issue-based dramas across the UK.

The Quaker-based human rights theatre company, run by Lynn and Dave Morris, has engaged with topics ranging from domestic abuse, militarisation in schools, and state-sanctioned torture, to the problem of ageing people in prisons and sustainability. The company’s final venue was at Bournemouth Meeting House on 30 June, with a performance of Back Door Parole.

Lynn Morris told the Friend: ‘We have received very generous funding from Central England Quakers (CEQ) Black Country Fund, and from our own Stourbridge Meeting, to publish a Journeymen Legacy Project. This will be a published volume containing all of our scripts for anyone to use (in return for a small donation to one of our named charities) and a narrative of our reflections: what we have learned on the road about Quakers, and how they’re faring up and down the country, about people’s concerns. It will be illustrated by a professional artist friend of ours, so we’re hoping to have a beautiful artefact.’

As a result of the company’s recent work in Lambeth with The Bundle, the story of a Chechen family seeking sanctuary in the UK, there are also ‘very embryonic’ plans to create a short training programme for young people who wish to develop their own human rights theatre. Lynn said: ‘We would aim to induct people into our methodology and theatre techniques. A number of young refugees at the Lambeth performances expressed a wish to pursue this kind of work so they would be the catalyst.’

Journeymen has always drawn on the theatre practices of Bertolt Brecht, aiming to stimulate audiences into active discussion.

Journeymen began its work in 2011. The company became a concern of Stourbridge Meeting and subsequently has been generously supported by both Stourbridge Friends and CEQ.

The Journeymen Legacy Project publication should be available by late autumn.

Lynn and Dave said: ‘We would like to add not a “farewell” but a “Fair Well” to all Quakers the length and breadth of the UK who work tirelessly and often under the radar for the human rights that our plays have highlighted over the years. We would also like to send heartfelt gratitude to the Quaker groups and committees who have entrusted Journeymen with their commissions.’

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