Performance: Theatres of Conscience

Theatres of Conscience is a theatre and heritage project by Women & Theatre exploring the experiences of Conscientious Objectors during WWI.

The term ‘conscientious objector’ is generally identified with pacifism or a religious objection to war.  In fact, it is a legal term (Military Service Act of January 1916) through which men could object to conscription for social, religious or personal reasons.  Tribunals were set up within the community in order to ascertain sincerity and worth of objection.

Delivered in partnership with mac birmingham, the project brings together adults from across the city to carry out heritage research, exploring newly found tribunal records from the Staffordshire Archives, and carrying out oral history interviews with relatives of conscientious objectors.

Following the research process, participants will collaborate with theatre professionals to produce a new performance piece which will depict a community tribunal and be performed at mac in March 2016. This project seeks to connect modern audiences with the experiences of conscientious objectors, explode the myths and challenge perceptions and stereotypes around this evocative phrase.

Theatres of Conscience is the third in a series of WWI projects funded by Heritage Lottery Fund. Women’s Work (2014/15) explored the lives of female factory workers in Small Heath, with particular reference to the Birmingham Small Arms factory, while The Chocolate Soldiers (2013/14) involved young men researching and developing a production based on the experiences of men like them who lived 100 years ago and were recruited to fight in WWI.

Performances
Saturday 12 March 2016 at 5pm & 7.30pm
Sunday 13 March 2016 at 11am, 1.30pm, 3.30pm & 6pm
Hexagon Theatre, mac birmingham, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH
Tickets £5 from Box Office 0121 446 3232 or www.macbirmingham.co.uk
Suitable for over 12s

Exhibition
An exhibition is at mac through March 2016, featuring research, creative responses and artefacts.  Members of the public will have the opportunity to contribute relevant family stories to our body of research.

Digital Archive/ Project Blog
Take a look at our Blog to follow each fresh development of this exciting project.

CREATIVE TEAM
Janice Connolly, Beth Kapila, Abigail King.

FUNDERS & PARTNERS
Partners: mac birmingham
Funders: Heritage Lottery Fund, The Cole Charitable Trust, The Grimmitt Trust, The Roughley Trust, William A Cadbury Charitable Trust and The Harry Payne Trust.