PREMIERE: September 5th at 7pm, St Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow
PREMIERE: September 5th at 7pm, St Bartholomew's Church, Wilmslow
BOG STANDARD
Live performance: music and storytelling
Bog Standard is the untold story of a tip off which led a rookie journalist to one of the most important archaeological finds of the 20th centre. It’s also a story about a magical place called Lindow Moss, two murders 15 hundred years apart, and how an ancient bog man became a 21st-century eco warrior.
About the show
Join award-winning journalist and storyteller Rachel Pugh and prize-winning harpist Lucy Nolan in their one-hour show, in which they weave words and music together to recreate the nail-biting days of 1984 when Rachel fought to make sure Lindow Man did not end up in a bag of plant compost.
Suitable for children.
DATE: September 5, 2024
TIME: 7.30pm
VENUE: St Bartholomew’s Church, Chancel Lane, Wilmslow, SK9 4AA
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This one-hour presentation in words and music brings to life the person that Lindow Man might have been at the time of his violent death in around AD 60, his dramatic discovery in August 1984 instigated by a junior reporter against a background of a murder trial and the struggle to keep unique places like Lindow Moss magical and alive, despite climate and development threats.
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It is written performed by award-winning journalist and story teller RACHEL PUGH who was working in Wilmslow in 1984 and alerted archaeologist Rick Turner about the possible existence of a bog body.
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Performed by award-winning harpist Lucy Nolan, performing on the clarsach - mixture of celtic, improvisation and contemporary compositions. Details available on application.
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Three successive sections combining dramatic narration and harp music including rap, Celtic and mysterious bog sounds:
1)Long-ago Lindow Dawn - poetic vision of Lindow Man’s last moments the day he died
2) Body snatch - the untold story from journalist, Rachel Pugh’s personal perspective, of the fight to keep Lindow Man from being treated as evidence of 23-year-old unsolved crime, the roller-coaster ride of a cub reporter faced by a world exclusive in a 2-person newspaper office.
3) Eco Warrior - Rap and respect for the land and the people who campaign to keep protecting this secret landscape
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40th anniversary of discovery of a world famous exhibit in British Museum.
Untold story
Captivating mixture of words and music
Wide audience appeal
Topical interest - climate change, bog bodies, museum ethics.
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RACHEL PUGH
STORYTELLER
Rachel Pugh is an award-winning writer and health/medical journalist, with a commitment to giving a voice to those who do not have one. Rachel is also a creative communicator.
In a versatile journalistic career working for The Guardian, The Times Ed, Medscape, The Independent and iNews, BBC radio and television, multinational companies and the NHS, Rachel is proud of having shone an exclusive light on issues such as health inequalities, FGM (female genital mutilation), disaster medicine, and the role of arts in health - all areas to which she remains committed.
Alongside her successful professional career, Rachel has continued to develop her practice of the arts. She has written two radio plays. As an active and sought-after cellist, she plays in a number of orchestras and chamber ensembles. She continues to train in physical theatre and clowning with Peta Lily, Marion Kenny and Desmond Jones. Her storytelling has developed through her collaboration with Heard Storytelling.
Bog Standard is Rachel’s first project bringing together her two worlds - as a journalist and as a professional story teller.
All this grew out of her science-based psychology studies at The University of Manchester. She turned down an offer to join a research team, to gain extensive experience in local newspapers, including the Oxford Mail and Times, on BBC radio and North West regional TV. During 11 years at the Manchester Evening News, she was both health editor (having set up the newspaper’s first health pages) and arts editor. Rachel has won several awards both as a staffer and more recently as a freelance - including two for specialist medical writing and one for science communication.
LUCY NOLAN
HARPIST
Graduating from Oxford University and the Royal Northern College of music with Distinctions in postgraduate degrees, Lucy was the recipient of a number of prizes and a finalist in the RNCM’s Gold Medal weekend, the highest accolade awarded for performance.
She is in demand as a soloist and chamber musician, frequently performing throughout the UK and internationally. She also regularly works with orchestras such as the Hallé, Manchester Concert Orchestra and the Royal Northern Sinfonia, invited to perform in renowned music venues such as the Royal Albert Hall, Cadogan Hall, The Sage and Bridgewater Hall.
Lucy is passionate about challenging music stereotypes and evolving new sounds and styles of playing through collaboration, composition and performance.
She has premiered works at Hull City of Culture, New Music North West Festival, Bury Light Festival and The Lowry and her collaborations with jazz and world musicians have led to performances at Cafe Oto, TUSK festival, Royal Albert Hall, Sage Gateshead, Lambeth Palace and Jaipur Literature Festival.
Lucy was recently invited to premiere her work, ‘Calico’ at Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival this year and was commissioned in collaboration with her ensemble, SHOAL, to compose and record new music for a short film for Channel 4. Her compositions have been awarded first prize in the International Poppy Harp Festival's Experimental music class and shortlisted by Cheltenham Jazz Festival.
Education workshops
Lucy and Rachel are passionate about working with young people and their audiences to draw people into the fascinating worlds opened up by the story of Lindow Man and his discovery.
They are both experienced in working with young people. Lucy is a respected teacher at a number of educational establishments, including Uppingham School, Chetham’s and the RNCM. She is also very experienced at running education workshops around musical performances. Rachel has been a committed mentor to under-achieving girls as part of the Girls Out Loud programme.
For more information on practical aspects of how Rachel and Lucy can work with you please contact us.
What we can offer:
Education workshops for children of 5-18 years old inspired by Bog Standard
Full or partial performances of Bog Standard
Possible focus of workshops include bogs, music making, Romano British history, sustainability and climate change, creative writing and confidence building