The Ancestors: Telling the Story of Freedom and Revolution
How do you take a historic play informed by real events and re-imagine it for 21st century performance?
Aerial View, Portchester CastleOriginal Source: PORTCHESTER CASTLE
Shout Out Loud and the National Youth Theatre (NYT) have been working together over the last few years to create new plays that tell the stories of those often overlooked by the history books. In 2019, we created ‘Our House’ staged at Eltham Palace and in 2021 our attention turned to Portchester Castle near Portsmouth, and the creation of ‘The Ancestors’.
Tap to explore
Between the years of 1794 and 1814, Portchester Castle was used to hold thousands of Prisoners of War (PoWs). In 1796 large numbers of PoWs from the Caribbean were captured by the British whilst fighting for France and imprisoned at the castle.
Tap to explore
Unlike how we might picture a PoW prison this was not a desolate, isolated place. The prisoners had active roles in castle life; they found jobs, ran market stalls, and took part in creative activities, including theatre.
Portchester Castle TheatreOriginal Source: PORTCHESTER CASTLE
As can still be seen today – thanks to restoration work - the prisoners built their very own theatre within the castle. The Freedom and Revolution project worked to bring new life into this space. The result is a new play called ‘The Ancestors’.
To create the work, the creative team reimagined ‘The Revolutionary Philanthropist’, a play about the enslaved people’s fight for freedom. It was written by a White French solider and first staged by the prisoners on a prison ship moored in Portsmouth Harbour in 1807.
An illustrated copy of the play was made in January 1811 when the Portchester theatre was at its height, presumably for use there by the castle troupe.
Illustrated Page from 'The Revolutionary Philanthropist'English Heritage
At the time of writing, ‘The Revolutionary Philanthropist’ was one of only a few plays that explored the Revolution in the Caribbean but includes racist language and outdated attitudes.
‘The Ancestors’ brings fresh perspectives to the work and gives voice to those the original play neglected: the women who were also fighting for freedom.
One of the joys of theatre is gaining a glimpse of someone else’s life and finding contemporary relevance despite the time, place or circumstance that may separate you.
The NYT actors worked hard to provide this opportunity through their involvement in the wider Freedom and Revolution project.
Behind-the-Scenes of 'The Ancestors' Monologues at Porchester Castle (5) by James HendersonEnglish Heritage
During 2020, the creative team began the Research and Development phase.
Twelve young Black women worked with historians, playwrights, and theatre directors to develop the reimagined play, telling the story of the prisoners of Portchester Castle from a Black female point of view.
The young actors explored historical sources connected to the Haitian Revolution and Portchester Castle, and started to develop their creative responses in the form of monologues.
Groups of young people local to Portchester Castle also worked with the NYT through a series of workshops to explore this same history and to develop their own drama skills.
Behind-the-Scenes of 'The Ancestors' Monologues at Porchester Castle (2)English Heritage
Theatre is a powerful tool to tell stories, just as it was for the people performing on the stage at Portchester Castle over 200 years ago.
Keep going to hear from Mumba Dodwell, Research & Development director, Lakesha Arie-Angelo, writer, and Jade Lewis, the director of ‘The Ancestors’.
Behind-the-Scenes of 'The Ancestors' Monologues at Porchester Castle (3)English Heritage
Watch all monologues created as part of the Research and Development here. You can also see a selection of these monologues as part of ‘The Ancestors’ Uncovering their Journey.
Head to the Shout Out Loud project page where you will be able to see some of the performance as part of a short documentary film. Or if you want to know more about Portchester Castle, including how to visit, all the information can be found here.
Find out about how to join the National Youth Theatre here.
This project and the performances were made possible by support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, DCMS Youth Accelerator Fund, the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), the David Toguri Bursary Fund, Arts Council England, the Culture Recovery Fund and Playful Productions.
