Welfare - Derby Theatre Review

Reviewed by Beth Hill at at Derby Theatre
Tickets were gifted in return for an honest review.

Skegness, 1939. A holiday camp opens its doors to a generation of miners and their families, providing them with respite and eventually a well-earned holiday as part of the Miner’s Welfare Scheme. For many of these families, this would be the first time they had gotten away on holiday and indeed the first time they even saw the sea! Think donkey rides, ice creams along the pier... the pinnacle of the British seaside. Derby Theatre transforms into the site itself as Welfare explores the rise and fall of this great, local institution through the decades and through generations of love, laughter and heartache. Welfare is written by a proud Derby-born and award winning British-Armenian playwright Abi Zakarian and directed by the wonderfully talented Sarah Brigham, artistic director and chief executive of Derby Theatre since 2013.

The history of the Derbyshire Miner’s Welfare camp is immense, and despite being a local lass for all my life I learned so much about its incredible history. The camp originally opened in 1928 as a convalescent home for recovering miners. Between 1937 and 1939, negotiations meant that miners and their families could receive a week’s paid leave at the camp without a loss of earnings as part of the works of the trade unionist Harry Hicken. 

Later in its life, the camp is repurposed both for an army training camp between 1939 and 1946 and later a refuge camp for Hungarians in 1956. Through its life, the camp sees flooding, warfare, women’s rights movements, striking and every possible human emotion. This production explores the many lives of the welfare camp with wonderful accuracy, respect and with humans at the very heart. It is a touching love letter to the Derbyshire miners and their generosity, pride and community spirit. It provides us with timelines and dates whilst also bringing raw emotion and heart.

Photo by Pamela Raith

As you step into Derby theatre, you are immediately immersed in the holiday camp atmosphere. Beach huts, seagulls and opportunities to purchase sticks of rock and fish and chips leave you swept away by the excitement of a holiday. When doors open, you are greeted by the cast and a wonderful pre-show featuring live music from both cast members and the Derwent brass band, including tunes like Flash Bang Wallop, Madonna’s Holiday and Oh I Do Like To Be Beside The Seaside which had the audience singing along from the off. Derwent Brass Band’s presence throughout the show is a fantastic addition and promotes real nostalgia. You can share your own memories of holiday camps and listen to real stories via a landline phone before making your way to the auditorium, a heart-warming touch. The audience are also presented with a bingo card which leads to an interactive game from the show’s start to finish!

In the play, we are told the story through two key lenses. The first of these is through the character Kat (Tiana Maria Harrison), who explores the remains of the welfare camp in order to find memories to discuss with her father who is battling dementia. On site, she meets Bingo Bob (Ivan Stott) who takes her on a journey through the many phases of the camp through its initial looking after miners function to its closure in the late 1980s. Each bingo ball correlates to a key year in the camp’s life. Harrison and Scott are electric hosts that have instant chemistry and bounce off each other effortlessly. Stott commands the crowd even from the pre-show and perfectly encapsulates the sweet and yet solemn look back at Welfare, what it once was and what it still could be.

Through the years of the camp, we also meet one family through three generations. We see how important the camp is to the miners and how it brought together families, loved ones and a community spirit. Andrew Westfield and Jo Mousley play Joseph and Patty, a couple who’s love takes them through women’s rights movements, the closure of the mines and personal loss of their son during the war. Westfield brings command to the stage and proves a solid foundation for the family with his friendly and at times comic performance. Mosley truly stands out even amongst such a talented whole cast, shifting from excited young woman to a mother who remains optimistic yet beaten down by life. Other featured cast include Rhys Wild as Thomas/Danny, Hanna Winter as Zsofia, John Holt-Roberts as Jack/Henry, Mya Fox-Scott as Angelica, Olivia Egbunike as Everine, and Oraine Johnson as Fitzalbert. The cast work wondrously together to produce an ensemble of REAL people, with all the grit and trials that life brings them. They truly feel like one big family and reflect beautifully the true community that they are representing. 

Photo by Pamela Raith

So grab your bucket and spade and perhaps a tissue or two to immerse yourself in the Miner’s holiday camp at Derby Theatre! A true 5-star production! Welfare continues at Derby Theatre until Saturday 12th October and tickets are available from https://derbytheatre.co.uk/event/it-were- welfare/

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