In 2019 Longfield Hall had funding from National Heritage Lottery Fund for a drama project for older adults. The group explored their experiences of living in Brixton and the history of Dark and Light Theatre company who were based at the hall in the early 1970s. The group wanted to continue to meet and applied for funding from the Mayor of London’s Culture Seeds scheme. They were successful and are continuing with their drama group online. If you are interested in joining please contact the group . At the moment the group meet online but hope to come back to the hall when they can….
Group Blog – this will be updated as the project progresses.
A July update from the group by Angela Hamilton.
We start the sessions with a check-in, how are we feeling? We each answer. These check-ins give each member the opportunity to say how they are feeling about their current personal situations – even about the murder of George Floyd to lockdown and the COVID-19 pandemic and more. Some members expressed that they were feeling low. One thing I know for sure and it is guaranteed, once the creative juices start to flow, moods will be lifted and laughter will echo throughout our weekly Zoom meeting.
Tony Cealy suggested a storytelling exercise, each member is given a number then instructed to add a word or a sentence or two then pass on to the next member. Commence storytelling! ‘Once a upon time’ we had to think quickly and dig deep into our imagination and improv to ensure the story flowed. In some parts it flowed but, in some instances, the anger members felt about the murder of George Floyd, the story went off on a tangent. We just keep on go!
Change the vibe. Let’s sing a song, Tony instructs. Do you know the song ‘This little light’ Yes I shouted, clapping my hands and singing a rendition of the song:
This little light of my, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of my, I’m gonna let it shine
This little light of my, I’m gonna let it shine
Let it shine; let it shine; let is shine
I made sure that I told the group, I was tone deaf. We all sang enthusiastically, some of us in tune and the likes of me out of tune. Singing out of tune did not matter as Zoom has a delay feature, which meant that we were all out of tune. The camaraderie and the laughter echoes throughout the Zoom session.
The group have come up with amazing pieces, some relate to personal experiences whilst other pieces are based on pure imagination and creativity. Admittedly, these pieces still need work before they can be performed in front of an audience. We just keep on go! And for now, we are focused on putting our production together for Lambeth’s Celebrating Age Festival and for Black History Month.
You can contact us by emailing autumnglorieslambeththeatrical@gmail.com
A shout out from Lambeth Theatricals Drama Group by Angela Hamilton (May 2020)
Are you 50+ and wanting to share your memories of living in Brixton/Camberwell during the 1970s?
A close friend called and told me about this project that wanted people over 50 to share their experience of living in Brixton. I AM UP FOR THAT!
On a cold September afternoon in 2019, a group of total strangers answered the call and met at Longfield Hall. I have lived in Brixton for decades; my late uncle lived in flats not far from the Hall. However, I had never heard of Longfield Hall. This was my first time visiting it. A community gem, hidden in a quiet Brixton street.
An eclectic group of people from all walks of life came together. Some had lived in Brixton for years during a time when if you mentioned that you lived in Brixton, it would bring shivers down the spines of people. You would hear ‘you live in Brixton; how can you live there?’ It had a reputation and not a good one! There were also the newbies, who had recently moved into Brixton as part of the gentrification movement, to everything in between. We all came together to share our experience of living in Brixton. We spent weeks sharing stories about our lives in Brixton, the landmarks, its history and its local ‘characters’ which made Brixton unique. We played fun filled games to get this group of amateur performers comfortable with performing. We shared lunches and laughter and friendships were formed. What a wonderful and enjoyable experience!
Tony Cealy had been commissioned to lead and to nurture the creativity of the group so that we could perform our piece to an audience at Longfield Hall and then Brixton Tate Library as part of Black History Month. We diligently rehearsed our piece over and over again. For most of us performing to an audience did not come naturally. Nerves were all over the place. So many things to remember – face the audience; project your voice; don’t turn your back to the audience and remember when to make your grand entrance onto the stage. At the Brixton Tate Library performance, the audience sang along to familiar songs from the 70’s and 80’s. We were able to interact with the audience, as there was a question and answer session. Member of the audience were able to share their stories and personal experiences of living in Brixton. Overall, both performances were a success and the group received praise and positive feedback. Job well done!
Fast forward! The group now calls itself the Lambeth Theatrical Drama Group (also the Autumn Glories, it’s a long story…). The group is now working on a new project. This is an exciting time for the group because it is working towards performing this project digitally and uploading it onto social media. WOW! Tony Cealy has been commissioned again to support the group. The ‘old gang’ back together! And moving forward…
This is a ‘Shout Out.’ Are you 50+ and able to get to Longfield Hall (when we can meet again) and would like a creative outlet to express yourself or to use your imagination creatively. Why not join us? At the moment it’s an online group but we expect to be back meeting at Longfield Hall when we can. Contact autumnglorieslambeththeatrical@gmail.com for more information and to join the group.
