Followers of na-mara will have read in this blog or in recent na-mara newsletters that, in June last year, Rob narrated a BBC Radio 4 documentary about the story of the Basque children evacuated from Bilbao in May 1937 and their and their own children’s experiences of growing up in the UK in the decades that followed. Rob’s father and uncle were amongst the 4,000 children who landed at Southampton.
As we have travelled the country since its broadcast, we have met many people deeply moved by the programme and one of those people, Fi Cotton, a modern languages consultant to local authorities, contacted us around Christmastime with the idea of writing a play based on the experiences of the Basque children. The idea was that, through the story of the Basque children, young children today would learn about both an important episode in history and the importance of their being able to communicate with others who speak a different language. In part, the vehicle for the play was our two songs, Only For Three Months and The Silver Duro – which respectively describe the initial parting of the children from their mothers and the final reunion between the children and their parents.
Fi’s idea was one that appealed to us immediately and we made it clear to her that, if she could make it happen, we would be more than happy to participate in what we were clear was an important project.
Well, Fi is a woman of immense energy, creativity and charisma and she did make it happen! Working with a wonderful group of committed young actors and one of their teachers from the King Edward VI Five Ways School in Bartley Green, Birmingham, and writing a wonderful screenplay around our two songs, the first production of Hablemonos (or ‘Let’s Talk’) was performed on the 8th March to around 110 younger children from three nearby schools.
We set off early from St Albans and got to the school for a 10.30am start. This allowed time for us to see the actors run through the play and understand where and how our playing would fit into the performance. The play is very moving and cleverly draws younger watchers into the practice of speaking Spanish and getting involved directly in the action - through their being invited onto the stage to get on board the boat sailing from Bilbao to Southampton.
The young actors had obviously been working very hard in previous rehearsals and we were collectively able to perform a decent dress rehearsal almost immediately after seeing the initial run through of the play. We were also joined by the young Spanish teacher from the school, Anna, who was an excellent singer. Anna had also been working very hard on the play and our music and she joined us seamlessly in singing The Silver Duro
By this time, it was getting close to ‘curtain up’. There was time to grab a quick sandwich and then the younger children began to arrive from the other schools. The weather was pretty appalling that day and the children were cold and wet. However, Fi, who is superb in the way she interacts with children, soon had them absolutely enthralled and engaged in speaking Spanish, and ready for the experience of the play.
The play is cleverly written, working on multiple levels, and it was a real joy for Rob and I to see these young people engaged so completely, in a mixture of Spanish and English, with the absorbing and human tale of the Basque children. How wonderful it was, every time Fi asked a question, to see a sheaf of hands shoot up, stretched as high as they could go as the children made best efforts to be the one selected to provide the answer.
After the show, which happened without any noticeable ‘first night’ hitches, Rob and I were able to spend a little more time with the talented young actors and Fi and Anna before grabbing a quick drink and making tracks for home. The M42 isn’t the most pleasant place to be on a Friday tea-time, but we were both buzzing with the experience of the day and the long journey home flew by.
We continue to work with Fi to see what else we might do together and where else this excellent project might go next. However, in the meantime, we would like to thank and congratulate Fi on making such a wonderful idea happen and thank Anna and the cast of pupils from King Edward VI Five School for giving their time and talent to make that idea become a moving reality.