Blowin' in the WindOpening Date: March 14, 2017
Closing Date: April 2, 2017 Air date: June 19, 2020 Medium: online Where to watch: Scenesaver and YouTube |
Stage Production Notes
A songbook musical featuring blues, gospel, folk and more, that links protest songs and civil disobedience from the 1960s to the present day and holds a mirror to reveal and reflect a sense of optimism that can prevail even during history’s darkest hours.
Director Lou Stein was inspired to create the piece in 2016 with the election of Donald Trump, Brexit, and Bob Dylan being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Classes and groups at Chickenshed researched and workshopped different sections which were woven together into one coherent piece.
With Rosa Parks acting as a narrator and witness, the musical commences in 1963 and moves through time and space to the present day (2017), exploring stories of protest, civil unrest, and injustice including the death of Hattie Carroll, Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline, child soldiers, mineworkers, the Berlin Wall, Argentinian Mothers of the Disappeared, the shooting of Trayvon Martin, and Black Lives Matter.
Blowin’ in the Wind opened at Chickenshed on March 14, 2017.
The production received glowing reviews, with critics praising the clever set design, and the performances of the large cast. British Theatre Guide reviewer Keith Mckenna described it as “exciting and often very moving,” and blogger Liz Ward stated “The show was full of beautiful, affecting, and inspiring moments.”
A songbook musical featuring blues, gospel, folk and more, that links protest songs and civil disobedience from the 1960s to the present day and holds a mirror to reveal and reflect a sense of optimism that can prevail even during history’s darkest hours.
Director Lou Stein was inspired to create the piece in 2016 with the election of Donald Trump, Brexit, and Bob Dylan being awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Classes and groups at Chickenshed researched and workshopped different sections which were woven together into one coherent piece.
With Rosa Parks acting as a narrator and witness, the musical commences in 1963 and moves through time and space to the present day (2017), exploring stories of protest, civil unrest, and injustice including the death of Hattie Carroll, Standing Rock and the Dakota Access Pipeline, child soldiers, mineworkers, the Berlin Wall, Argentinian Mothers of the Disappeared, the shooting of Trayvon Martin, and Black Lives Matter.
Blowin’ in the Wind opened at Chickenshed on March 14, 2017.
The production received glowing reviews, with critics praising the clever set design, and the performances of the large cast. British Theatre Guide reviewer Keith Mckenna described it as “exciting and often very moving,” and blogger Liz Ward stated “The show was full of beautiful, affecting, and inspiring moments.”
Filmed Production Notes
Blowin’ In the Wind was released for free on YouTube June 19, 2020 as part of Chickenshed’s virtual season “Inspiring Thoughts.”
Critics were inspired and moved by the production, and noted its strong continued relevance in 2020. Writing for The Upcoming, Marissa Khaos noted “this show is a perfectly timed and thoroughly enjoyable way to learn, reflect, understand…” and concluded that the production was “fresh, innovative, highly enjoyable and deeply insightful.” In a review for Exposure, Shakira Dyer stated “The young performers’ energy and support for each other was even felt through a computer screen in 2020s lockdown.” Mary Pollard in Everything Theatre described the production as “considered and informative,” and praised the large “energetic young” cast for their wide range of skills and “passionate” performances.
Blowin’ In the Wind is currently available to stream on demand on Scenesaver and YouTube.
Blowin’ In the Wind was released for free on YouTube June 19, 2020 as part of Chickenshed’s virtual season “Inspiring Thoughts.”
Critics were inspired and moved by the production, and noted its strong continued relevance in 2020. Writing for The Upcoming, Marissa Khaos noted “this show is a perfectly timed and thoroughly enjoyable way to learn, reflect, understand…” and concluded that the production was “fresh, innovative, highly enjoyable and deeply insightful.” In a review for Exposure, Shakira Dyer stated “The young performers’ energy and support for each other was even felt through a computer screen in 2020s lockdown.” Mary Pollard in Everything Theatre described the production as “considered and informative,” and praised the large “energetic young” cast for their wide range of skills and “passionate” performances.
Blowin’ In the Wind is currently available to stream on demand on Scenesaver and YouTube.
Learn more about Chickenshed on episode 22 of the Filmed Live Musicals podcast with guest Susan Jamson. Available on all podcast apps.
Blowin' in the Wind PRODUCTION CREDITS
Theatre: Rayne Theatre, Chickenshed
Producer: Chickenshed
Book: Lou Stein
Director: Lou Stein
Musical Director: Dave Carey
Vocal Director: Fiona Carey
Choreography: Christine Niering
Costume & Scenic Design: William Fricker
Lighting Design: Andrew Caddles
Multimedia & Sound Design: Phil Haines
Stage Manager: Miranda Paraskeva
Cast:
Rosa Parks
Jojo Morrall (Rosa Parks)
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Tania Jacobs (Hattie Carroll)
Aled Williams (William Zantzinger)
Mazlun Altun, Nathalie Apcher, Sue Bard-Bodek, Emma Barrand, Sarah Beckwith, NancyRea Bicknell, Berkan Birol, Ben Bland, Joseph Booth, Sophie Bowen, Daniel Brown, Robbie Cahill, Emma Cambridge, Domenica Cockle, Philip Constantinou, Sophia Cordell, GemmaLeigh Cross, Natasha Curran, Simon Degan, Charlotte Doe, Lisa-Marie Eastwood, Measha Emmons, Ishbel Fahey-Theaker, Ben Gardner, Eva Gibbs, Marie Glynn, Sorcha Hannon, Jack Hoskins, Rhyse Hughes, Tara Jacobs, Jason Jayawardena, Katya Jenkins, Gary Jenkins, Rachel Johnstone, Mariam Khan, Cerys Lambert, Lee Lamey, Tyler Lewis, Ruth Littlejohn, Elsie Lyons, Osman Mahmout, Marie Mangan, Eddie McDonagh, Aidan McQueen, Daggy Mekuria, Jessica Miller, Jonathan Miller, Sade Morrall, Edward Mosse, Adam Noga, Amrut Patel, Vathoulla Pitsillides, Frederico Ramage, Honor Redman, Akay Riza, Milly Rolle, Matthew Roze, Nicholas Sanford, Belinda Sharer, Chirag Shah, Murat Shevket, Karen Slade, Sarah Soutar, Emily Spiers, Aaliyah Tennant, Francesca Tomkins, Sally Trevette, Sian Turner, Craig Turney, Charles Turrell, Josh Viner, Jessica Woodland, Daisy Wolfman
Only Human…
Perihan Alcicek, Max Alexander, Nicholas Athanasiou, Jessica Barron, Holly Bourn, Eric Capewell, Emma Cross, Caleb Day, Kieran Duffy, Kellie Gemmell, Esme Grieve, Bethany Hamlin, Finn Kebbe, Darian Kerr, Nathaniel Leigertwood, Cara McInanny, Tiana Millington, Christopher Perifimou, Jade Phelps, Philip Rothery, Eloise Runnette, Pralathan Sivagnanam, Caterina Sutherland, Jamie Vaughan, Tash Watson, Ellie-May Wood
Toy Soldiers
Cast Rota 1: Sarah Allerton, Adam Antoniou, Jude Apcher, Frankie-Leigh Bonura, Charlotte Brennan, Jessica Brennan, Ellie Brockwell, Hazal Cankiran, Beth Carey, Talia Cohen, River Cotcher Hill, Ben Craddock, Jack Dodd, Tom Ehrenstein, George Fyfe, Yadav Ganatra, George Ginvert, Isabel Gomes, Imogen Hatch, Dante Issaias, Toprak Karabulut, Robert King, David Kosmin-Barr, Jodie Lynch-Coleman, Daniel Marcus-Korn, Finlay McLintock, Thomas McLintock, Renaldo Michael, Maria Michael, Chetanna Obi, Finn Partridge-Weir, Yasemin Rasit, Alex Roberts, Cassios Ross, Chloe Rushton, Maya Schulze, Niamh Shergold, Aine Smith, James Smith, Yvonne Tsui, Christian Webb, Alice White, Max Whittard, Kye Wolbrom, Elsie Youngman
Cast Rota 2: Mark Adih, Charles Barakat, Mia Barrell, Conor Brennan, Ines Britton, James Brooks, Eray Ciniviz, Amie Coffman, Zachary Constantinides, Madelaine Cooper, Luis Cover, Orhan Djemal, Rafi Essex, Lauren Evans, Jack Falk, Thomas French, Danny Gordon-Boyd, Coby Granek, Ruby Hamilton, Daniel Hutton, Sonja Ivovic, Ruby Jex-Timms, Rochelle Karabulut, Joseph Khazali, Thomas Light, Toby Lyons, Fred MacKenzie-Corby, Conor McCoole, Noga Mills, Daniel Nethercott, Leonardo Newson, Louis Parry-Garnaud, Lara Parsons, Nayan Perera, Rhea Rankin, Massimo Risoli, Leah Sands, Ruby Shaw, Michael Siani-Davies, Tilly Sleeman Crabtree, Jamie Somerville, Zoi Soteri, Fikayo Soyoye, Duane Stewart, Katie Wood
Strikers
Eren Basharan, Yasmine Behailil, Sabina Bissett, Acelya Cankiran, Ruby Codiroli, Luke Dunn, Naomi Foster, Joseph Freedman, Vinnie Gardner, George Griffiths, Chloe Halberstam, Esme Honour-Webster, Emmie Houckham, Joshua Howard, Cameron James, Amelia Jenner, Bethany Ladley-Ellmers, Charlotte Laitner, Abishek Lakhani, William Lewis, Rosa Loosemore, Rachel Luke, Lashay Miller, Thomas Mudford-Wilson, Imogen Murphy, Alexandre Murtinheira, Rayan Obeid, Annisha Odeje-Khakhar, Faith Olusola, Bradley Phillips, Alfie Poupko-Friedman, Vanique Rigby-Ettienne, Laura Rose, Stella Simao, Aaron Skerratt, Chloe Stevenson, Guillaume Sudre, Marianne Williams
Berlin Wall
Tamika Armstrong, Ruby Arora, Louise Connolly, Bronte Cookson, Chelsea Crowder, Matilda Duffy, Elizabeth Evans, Hannah Gallagher, Ronai Gittens, Emily Hughes, Kyle Johnson, Shari Kellman, Ecevit Kulman, Elvana Love, Emily Mair, Sebastian Munoz Vasco, Isla-Belle Rainforth, Bethany Revens, Molie-Mae Rochester, Danyelle Romain, Molly Rose, John Spillane, Hannah Thompson, Finn Walters, Harrison Ward, Alexander Ward, Charlie Williams
Mothers of the Disappeared
Sarah Allerton , Tamika Armstrong, Frankie-Leigh Bonura, Talia Cohen, Philip Constantinou, Ben Craddock, Natasha Curran, Lauren Evans, Vinnie Gardner, Bethany Hamlin, Rachel Johnstone, Finn Kebbe, Shari Kellman, Nathaniel Leigertwood, Balthazar Magloire-Oliver, Cara McInanny, Sade Morrall, Sebastian Munoz Vasco, Chetanna Obi, Louis Parry-Garnaud, Lara Parsons, Rhea Rankin, Gemilla Shamruk, Robin Shillinglaw, Stella Simao, Chloe Stevenson, Duane Stewart, Aria Valzano, Finn Walters, Tash Watson, Ellie-Louise Webb
Blood on the Streets
Isabella Adika, Denzel Baidoo, Michael Bossisse, Zhane Davis, Magdalena Dybus, Alyssia Jones, Sam Jones, Benjamin Kemp, Maya Kobryner, Demar Lambert, Fleur Leanse, Max Lewis, Balthazar Magloire-Oliver, Fabienne Magloire-Oliver, Ari Mandikate, Chantelle McKenzie, Jemma Michael, Nelson Nash, Kaeleb Parkinson, Reeyana Ramrecha, Daniel Ridley, Sebastian Ross, Jahmai Scott, Benjamin Spencer, Madeline Strawson, Ellie-Louise Webb, Megan Whelan, Christopher Wong
Chickenshed’s Vocal Voices
Tamika Armstrong Jessica Barron Keisha Henderson Finn Kebbe Shari Kellman Ecevit Kulman Cerys Lambert Cara McInanny Isla-Belle Rainforth Bethany Revens Milly Rolle Molly Rose Eloise Runnette Catarina Sutherland Lauren Tibbs Finn Walters Ellie-May Wood
The Band
Dave Carey (Musical Director & Keyboard), Luke Saydon (Keyboard), Callum Harrower (Drums), Joe Nesbitt-Larking (Guitar & Vocals), Iain Whitmore (Bass & Vocals)
Theatre: Rayne Theatre, Chickenshed
Producer: Chickenshed
Book: Lou Stein
Director: Lou Stein
Musical Director: Dave Carey
Vocal Director: Fiona Carey
Choreography: Christine Niering
Costume & Scenic Design: William Fricker
Lighting Design: Andrew Caddles
Multimedia & Sound Design: Phil Haines
Stage Manager: Miranda Paraskeva
Cast:
Rosa Parks
Jojo Morrall (Rosa Parks)
The Lonesome Death of Hattie Carroll
Tania Jacobs (Hattie Carroll)
Aled Williams (William Zantzinger)
Mazlun Altun, Nathalie Apcher, Sue Bard-Bodek, Emma Barrand, Sarah Beckwith, NancyRea Bicknell, Berkan Birol, Ben Bland, Joseph Booth, Sophie Bowen, Daniel Brown, Robbie Cahill, Emma Cambridge, Domenica Cockle, Philip Constantinou, Sophia Cordell, GemmaLeigh Cross, Natasha Curran, Simon Degan, Charlotte Doe, Lisa-Marie Eastwood, Measha Emmons, Ishbel Fahey-Theaker, Ben Gardner, Eva Gibbs, Marie Glynn, Sorcha Hannon, Jack Hoskins, Rhyse Hughes, Tara Jacobs, Jason Jayawardena, Katya Jenkins, Gary Jenkins, Rachel Johnstone, Mariam Khan, Cerys Lambert, Lee Lamey, Tyler Lewis, Ruth Littlejohn, Elsie Lyons, Osman Mahmout, Marie Mangan, Eddie McDonagh, Aidan McQueen, Daggy Mekuria, Jessica Miller, Jonathan Miller, Sade Morrall, Edward Mosse, Adam Noga, Amrut Patel, Vathoulla Pitsillides, Frederico Ramage, Honor Redman, Akay Riza, Milly Rolle, Matthew Roze, Nicholas Sanford, Belinda Sharer, Chirag Shah, Murat Shevket, Karen Slade, Sarah Soutar, Emily Spiers, Aaliyah Tennant, Francesca Tomkins, Sally Trevette, Sian Turner, Craig Turney, Charles Turrell, Josh Viner, Jessica Woodland, Daisy Wolfman
Only Human…
Perihan Alcicek, Max Alexander, Nicholas Athanasiou, Jessica Barron, Holly Bourn, Eric Capewell, Emma Cross, Caleb Day, Kieran Duffy, Kellie Gemmell, Esme Grieve, Bethany Hamlin, Finn Kebbe, Darian Kerr, Nathaniel Leigertwood, Cara McInanny, Tiana Millington, Christopher Perifimou, Jade Phelps, Philip Rothery, Eloise Runnette, Pralathan Sivagnanam, Caterina Sutherland, Jamie Vaughan, Tash Watson, Ellie-May Wood
Toy Soldiers
Cast Rota 1: Sarah Allerton, Adam Antoniou, Jude Apcher, Frankie-Leigh Bonura, Charlotte Brennan, Jessica Brennan, Ellie Brockwell, Hazal Cankiran, Beth Carey, Talia Cohen, River Cotcher Hill, Ben Craddock, Jack Dodd, Tom Ehrenstein, George Fyfe, Yadav Ganatra, George Ginvert, Isabel Gomes, Imogen Hatch, Dante Issaias, Toprak Karabulut, Robert King, David Kosmin-Barr, Jodie Lynch-Coleman, Daniel Marcus-Korn, Finlay McLintock, Thomas McLintock, Renaldo Michael, Maria Michael, Chetanna Obi, Finn Partridge-Weir, Yasemin Rasit, Alex Roberts, Cassios Ross, Chloe Rushton, Maya Schulze, Niamh Shergold, Aine Smith, James Smith, Yvonne Tsui, Christian Webb, Alice White, Max Whittard, Kye Wolbrom, Elsie Youngman
Cast Rota 2: Mark Adih, Charles Barakat, Mia Barrell, Conor Brennan, Ines Britton, James Brooks, Eray Ciniviz, Amie Coffman, Zachary Constantinides, Madelaine Cooper, Luis Cover, Orhan Djemal, Rafi Essex, Lauren Evans, Jack Falk, Thomas French, Danny Gordon-Boyd, Coby Granek, Ruby Hamilton, Daniel Hutton, Sonja Ivovic, Ruby Jex-Timms, Rochelle Karabulut, Joseph Khazali, Thomas Light, Toby Lyons, Fred MacKenzie-Corby, Conor McCoole, Noga Mills, Daniel Nethercott, Leonardo Newson, Louis Parry-Garnaud, Lara Parsons, Nayan Perera, Rhea Rankin, Massimo Risoli, Leah Sands, Ruby Shaw, Michael Siani-Davies, Tilly Sleeman Crabtree, Jamie Somerville, Zoi Soteri, Fikayo Soyoye, Duane Stewart, Katie Wood
Strikers
Eren Basharan, Yasmine Behailil, Sabina Bissett, Acelya Cankiran, Ruby Codiroli, Luke Dunn, Naomi Foster, Joseph Freedman, Vinnie Gardner, George Griffiths, Chloe Halberstam, Esme Honour-Webster, Emmie Houckham, Joshua Howard, Cameron James, Amelia Jenner, Bethany Ladley-Ellmers, Charlotte Laitner, Abishek Lakhani, William Lewis, Rosa Loosemore, Rachel Luke, Lashay Miller, Thomas Mudford-Wilson, Imogen Murphy, Alexandre Murtinheira, Rayan Obeid, Annisha Odeje-Khakhar, Faith Olusola, Bradley Phillips, Alfie Poupko-Friedman, Vanique Rigby-Ettienne, Laura Rose, Stella Simao, Aaron Skerratt, Chloe Stevenson, Guillaume Sudre, Marianne Williams
Berlin Wall
Tamika Armstrong, Ruby Arora, Louise Connolly, Bronte Cookson, Chelsea Crowder, Matilda Duffy, Elizabeth Evans, Hannah Gallagher, Ronai Gittens, Emily Hughes, Kyle Johnson, Shari Kellman, Ecevit Kulman, Elvana Love, Emily Mair, Sebastian Munoz Vasco, Isla-Belle Rainforth, Bethany Revens, Molie-Mae Rochester, Danyelle Romain, Molly Rose, John Spillane, Hannah Thompson, Finn Walters, Harrison Ward, Alexander Ward, Charlie Williams
Mothers of the Disappeared
Sarah Allerton , Tamika Armstrong, Frankie-Leigh Bonura, Talia Cohen, Philip Constantinou, Ben Craddock, Natasha Curran, Lauren Evans, Vinnie Gardner, Bethany Hamlin, Rachel Johnstone, Finn Kebbe, Shari Kellman, Nathaniel Leigertwood, Balthazar Magloire-Oliver, Cara McInanny, Sade Morrall, Sebastian Munoz Vasco, Chetanna Obi, Louis Parry-Garnaud, Lara Parsons, Rhea Rankin, Gemilla Shamruk, Robin Shillinglaw, Stella Simao, Chloe Stevenson, Duane Stewart, Aria Valzano, Finn Walters, Tash Watson, Ellie-Louise Webb
Blood on the Streets
Isabella Adika, Denzel Baidoo, Michael Bossisse, Zhane Davis, Magdalena Dybus, Alyssia Jones, Sam Jones, Benjamin Kemp, Maya Kobryner, Demar Lambert, Fleur Leanse, Max Lewis, Balthazar Magloire-Oliver, Fabienne Magloire-Oliver, Ari Mandikate, Chantelle McKenzie, Jemma Michael, Nelson Nash, Kaeleb Parkinson, Reeyana Ramrecha, Daniel Ridley, Sebastian Ross, Jahmai Scott, Benjamin Spencer, Madeline Strawson, Ellie-Louise Webb, Megan Whelan, Christopher Wong
Chickenshed’s Vocal Voices
Tamika Armstrong Jessica Barron Keisha Henderson Finn Kebbe Shari Kellman Ecevit Kulman Cerys Lambert Cara McInanny Isla-Belle Rainforth Bethany Revens Milly Rolle Molly Rose Eloise Runnette Catarina Sutherland Lauren Tibbs Finn Walters Ellie-May Wood
The Band
Dave Carey (Musical Director & Keyboard), Luke Saydon (Keyboard), Callum Harrower (Drums), Joe Nesbitt-Larking (Guitar & Vocals), Iain Whitmore (Bass & Vocals)
Sources
Books
Articles
Websites
- Chickenshed, Blowin’ in the Wind program (2017), Accessed via https://www.chickenshed.org.uk/Handlers/Download.ashx?IDMF=a1907d5a-c3c3-47c9-9d5c-2474ff6587f9
Articles
- Shakira Dyer, “Theatre review: Chickenshed’s ‘Blowing in the Wind’” Exposure (July 29, 2020)
- Marissa Khaos, “Blowin’ in the Wind at Chickenshed Online,” The Upcoming (June 26, 2020)
- Keith Mckenna, “Blowin’ in the Wind,” British Theatre Guide (undated)
- Mary Pollard, “Blowin’ in the Wind, Online at the Chickenshed – Review,” Everything Theatre (June 22, 2020)
- Lou Stein, “A message of hope in turbulent times - Lou Stein on Blowin' in the Wind,” Chickenshed (March 22, 2017)
- Liz Ward, “Chickenshed’s Blowin’ in the Wind,” Cats and Chocolate (May 4, 2017)
Websites
- Chickenshed, “Inspiring Thoughts,” Accessed via: https://www.chickenshed.org.uk/inspiring-thoughts
Written by Luisa Lyons (April, 2021)