Shots rang out across Abbeyfield Park. Two brothers lie dead, killed just as they’ve discovered they were twins, separated at birth. But after gasps and cries of shock the audience burst into applause as the first powerful and emotional play, Blood Brothers by Willy Russell, came to an end.
Green City Action, in conjunction with The Sheffield College Performing Arts Department, have again brought drama of a welcome kind to Abbeyfield Park. The final work, after a two-year BTEC National Diploma course, saw the twenty-six students perform two plays twice in one day.
The second play, Accrington Pals by Peter Whelan, told the tragic tale of a battalion of volunteers early in the First World War. The Mayor of Accrington recruited 250 men in 10 days from this small Lancashire town. Nearly half were killed or injured within half an hour on the first day of the Battle of the Somme. The play tells the story of these young men and the devastating effect the loss had on the community.
It was a great afternoon’s entertainment and exciting to see so many people turn out to enjoy Abbeyfield Park being used in such an imaginative and inspiring way. As one of the students said, “This course and the play has stretched me in ways I never thought possible, I’m so proud of myself. Anything is possible!”
by Mark Lankshear