Sunday 7 June 2009

COAL FACE


13 years after their fantastic success with the World Theatrical premiere of Pit Stop, a musical based on the Yorkshire mining community, St Mary’s Youth Theatre are again about to perform the World Premiere of Coal Face, a one act play by a local young writer called Gareth Durasow. Set against the austere backdrop of the 1940s mining industry, Coal Face is a bleakly comic tale about what happens when “the youth of today” meet the youth of yesteryear.
The war has been won and now Tommy must come to terms with his new life in Garforth; a life that has bid farewell to schoolyard games and is about to see him join the men of iron on the road to Ledston Luck. But for Tommy, the biggest problem isn’t that he’s not from round ‘ere. It’s that he’s from the future!
When Garforth Arts Community Director Dave Evans asked SMYT director Steve Archdale if there was anything they could do for the group Steve suggested the commissioning of a new play based on Garforth’s history. Gareth Durasow was then taken on board to research and write a play for them. Meeting Garforth people he gleamed stories and useful titbits of local folklore appertaining to the post-war mining communities in this area. Using the information he then set about writing a play suitable for the young members of SMYT to perform.

The play will be opening the Garforth Arts Festival on Tuesday 30th June at Garforth Community College. Ticket prices are £5 & £4 concessions and are on sale at Garforth Bookshop, Main Street Garforth.