Unwiped – We’re Going To Do This Anyway!

The history of one of Totnes’ most prominent buildings is being brought to life with a take-over by young people performing their own play.

Unwiped is a Playground Arts production for the fringe festival, which is now ON!

On July 12 the Mansion will host promenade performances with 50 young people – the youngest is just five – local man John Osmond, 86, whose memories of being at school in the building in the 1950s are all part of the play, and professional actors Joanne Rogers and Kevin Johnson.

Director Sarah Veevers told the Pulse: “We are using the history of the building to create the story. For instance in the 1700s the site was a graveyard, so there will be ghost stories.

“In 1877 it was the grammar school, with all boys, and in 1966 when KEVICS (now KEVICC) was built the school admitted girls for the first time. One woman told us of her memories of being in that first intake and how the boys were mean to the girls because they didn’t want girls around!”

Sarah said it seems the battle of the sexes didn’t last long.

In the 1980s there was a popular youth club at the Mansion and the poster for the play is a photo taken there. (Perhaps readers might recognise themselves in their hair gel days?) Interviews with the youth-clubbers and others have been recorded and feed into the script by Mich Sanderson.

Sarah had hoped to fund the production with Arts Council and Heritage Lottery grants but both bids were turned down. “But by that time were were so invested in the show we said let’s do it anyway!”

In true show biz tradition the show will go on and a Crowdfunder is running to bridge the gap.

The show will take the audiences on a tour of the building. All three performances are already sold out but, realising the event needed capturing for posterity (like the memories from former pupils), Sarah is having the day professionally filmed and the edited version will be shared with local schools and the Totnes Image Bank.

Playground Arts, now a Community Interest Company, holds weekly sessions in term time in Totnes and Buckfastleigh, and is holding two summer schools.

For more information email playgroundartstheatre@gmail.com