Folk Theatre - Stealing Seven Hens (Tales of Convict Transportation from the East Riding of Yorkshire)
Stealing Seven Hens is a journey from rural East Yorkshire in the early 19th century to the far off colonies of Australia where men and women convicted of the most trivial of crimes were taken.
This dramatisation puts the 19th century judicial system in the dock and asks if such a harsh punishment really did fit the crime?
The victims of this penal system, include the infamous Snowden Dunhill of East Yorkshire who, along with nine other members of his notorious family, were transported to meet a variety of fates.
As the plights of local rogues, vagabonds and thieves are told, this piece of Folk Theatre is peppered with original songs and tunes in the style of the ‘Broadside Ballads’. The ballads are a great legacy of folk tales and song that were inspired by the terrors and triumphs of the many thousands of people who were dumped on the far side of the world
Gary Horrocks, writer and journalist:
“I experienced an astonishing piece of theatre this afternoon. Stealing Seven Hens, written and performed by Gordon Meredith, was fascinating, thought-provoking, beautifully acted, and with brilliant original music from Phil Simpson, an astonishing, brilliantly executed play. Flabbergasted at the level of detail that must have gone into the research, the script, the brilliant music. Kudos to the creative team that brought this to fruition. Get this show on the road, guys.”