Acclaimed storyteller Matthew Crampton unites with American folk music legend Jeff Warner in a new show based on Crampton’s book Human Cargo: Songs & Stories of Emigration, Slavery & Transportation.
Human Cargo gives voice to past exiles – emigrants, slaves, transportees – to shed fresh light on today’s migrations. Through the accompanying Parallel Lives project, it includes – wherever it performs – local stories of migration and partnership with local refugee and migrant support groups.
In a remarkable evening of story and song, Crampton tells true tales of individuals forced into exile in the 18th and 19th centuries. He weaves these stories through a tapestry of traditional folksong from the time performed by Warner. As Crampton explains, ‘History usually tells of the rich, the famous and the lucky. But what of ordinary people? Folksong helps give them a voice.’
Parallels with today are clear. Crampton says, ‘Mass migration is a defining dilemma for the world. Giving it an historic perspective can detoxify the debate. Adding local stories helps people find their own place in the story.’
This approach draws on Crampton’s recent success with his co-adaptation of Peter Bellamy’s folk ballads The Transports. With full houses and standing ovations in two tours across Britain, critics agreed Crampton’s re-imagining of The Transports helped lift Bellamy’s brilliant concept to new levels.
Jeff Warner is one of America’s foremost interpreters of traditional music, well loved for connecting 21st century audiences with the everyday lives of people from past centuries. Born to one of America’s most eminent families of folksong collectors, Jeff grew up listening to the songs and stories of his father Frank Warner and the traditional singers his parents met during their collecting trips through rural America.
Through the Parallel Lives project, Crampton has formed links with 50 different refugee and migrant support groups. ‘There’s an incredible array of local initiatives across Britain – individuals who get together and say, we must help refugees who arrive in our town.
Crampton will also research and tell local stories at each venue. “I hunt through original passenger lists from 18th and 19th century ships to find people who’ve migrated from that very town. In parallel, I talk of people who’ve come to live there in recent decades.’
Crampton’s book, Human Cargo, was described by broadcaster Cerys Matthews as “An elegant, vital insight into human suffering and survival”. The book gathers personal testimonies of those actually aboard slaveships, emigrant boats or transportation vessels. It links these with modern accounts of being trafficked. With 25 folksong lyrics and 50 gorgeous woodcuts and illustrations, it is “a little gem of a book” (FATEA) and “well-researched … fascinating … a great read” (Living Tradition Magazine).
The Human Cargo show travels Britain during May/June 2018 in a 16-date tour which leads up to UK Refugee Week (18-24 June). The tour starts at St Albans Maltings on 11 May. It travels widely across Britain, visiting venues such as Bristol St George’s, London King’s Place and Liverpool Philharmonic Hall.
Websites: matthewcrampton.com / thetransportsproduction.co.uk/parallel-lives / jeffwarner.com
Matthew Crampton presents Parallel Lives:
TOUR DATES
11 May St Albans, The Maltings Arts Theatre
8pm, £14/£13/£10, maltingsartstheatre.co.uk
12 May Blackburn, Mellor Brook Community Centre
8pm, £12.50, mellorbrook.org/human-cargo
13 May Settle, Victoria Hall
7.30pm, £14, £8, settlevictoriahall.org.uk
16 May Cardigan, Theatr Mwldan
7.30pm, £14/£12, mwldan.co.uk
17 May Bristol, St George’s
8pm, £8, £18/£16/£5, stgeorgesbristol.co.uk
23 May Torrington, Plough Arts Centre
8pm, £14.50/£12.50, theploughartscentre.org.uk
2 June Newcastle, Gosforth Civic Theatre
7.30pm, £12, £8, £3, gosforthcivictheatre.co.uk
3 June Beverley, East Riding Theatre
£16, £14, eastridingtheatre.co.uk
5 June Liverpool Philharmonic Hall Music Room
8pm, £12.50, liverpoolphil.com
7 June Shoreham, Ropetackle Arts Centre
8pm, £14, ropetacklecentre.co.uk
12 June Exeter, Phoenix
8pm, £14, £12, exeterphoenix.org.uk
13 June Dorchester, Shire Hall
Details to come – venue opens in April
14 June The Cut, Halesworth – with FolkEast
7.30pm, £14, newcut.org
15 June London, Kings Place
8pm, £14.50, kingsplace.co.uk
16 June Matlock, Florence Nightingale Hall, Holloway
7.30pm, £12.50, More info 01773 856545
17 June Bedford, The Place
7.30pm, £14, theplacebedford.org.uk
PARALLEL LIVES PARTNERS FOR HUMAN CARGO TOUR
Bedford Bedford Refugee & Asylum Seeker Support www.brassbedford.org.uk
Beverley Open Doors Hull & TBC https://www.facebook.com/opendoorshull/
Blackburn People’s Enterprise & Empowerment Forum www.peef-pendle.co.uk
Bristol Bristol Refugee Rights http://www.bristolrefugeerights.org/
Bristol City of Sanctuary https://bristol.cityofsanctuary.org/
Cardigan Cardigan & North Pembrokeshire Amnesty International Group
Dorchester Verne Visitors Group http://www.vernevisitors.org.uk/
Dorset Race Equality Council www.dorsetrec.org.uk
Exeter Refugee Support Devon http://refugeesupportdevon.org.uk/
Exeter City of Sanctuary https://exeter.cityofsanctuary.org/
Halesworth Suffolk Refugee Support & TBC http://suffolkrefugee.org.uk/
Liverpool SWAP Support for Wigan Arrivals Project https://www.swapwigan.org/
London Refugee Council https://www.refugeecouncil.org.uk/
Matlock Derby Refugee Advice Centre http://home.btconnect.com/derbyrefugeeforum/
Newcastle Action Foundation http://actionfoundation.org.uk/
St Albans St Albans for Refugees http://www.stalbansforrefugees.org/
Herts Welcomes Syrian Families http://www.hwsf.org.uk/
Settle TBC
Shoreham Brighton & Hove City of Sanctuary
https://brighton-and-hove.cityofsanctuary.org/
Torrington North Devon Refugee Solidarity https://www.facebook.com/groups/1641979666042474/
North Devon Sunrise CIC www.northdevonsunrise.org
Bude Welcomes Refugees http://buderefugeesupportgroup.org.uk/
More info and full list of PL partners from previous tours at http://thetransportsproduction.co.uk/parallel-lives/partners