Folk Theatre - Swinging the Lamp (The remarkable true story of the toughest job in the world)
Swinging the Lamp is a tribute in words and song to Jim Williams, the Hull trawler skipper who fished the Arctic grounds during the hey-day of the industry and who was at the fishing grounds when the infamous triple trawler tragedy happened 50 years ago (1968).
Gordon Meredith recollects his time spent with Jim, both as a museum designer and as an actor. He draws from his
interviews with Jim as well as from his autobiography by
the same name, Swinging the Lamp. Jim’s persona is brought to life on stage and punctuated with folk songs by Pete Fletcher that evoked a life in the fishing communities of Hull and at the Arctic Fishing Grounds.
Swinging the lamp is a trawl through Jim’s experiences of a life at sea, the drama and the tragedies, and his voluntary time devoted to promoting Hull’s fishing heritage so that generations who never sailed from Hull in a trawler, will never forget the bravery and the sacrifices made in the pursuit of fish!
Pavel Drábek - Professor of Drama and Theatre Practice, University of Hull:
“What a powerful show: humble, well-crafted and beautiful! A balance of stories, music, eye-witness accounts, pain, fun and tears. Impressive!”
Audience members:
“This is the best show about Hessle Road I’ve ever seen.”
“It made me proud to be from Hull.”