Street theatre to storm St. Helens Town Centre to take place soon!

THE St. Helens performance group:- 'Other Ways of Telling' will be taking over Church Street, in St. Helens Town Centre, on Saturday, 18 April 2015, with a brand new piece of street theatre called:- 'What If…?' The play questions democracy in light of the upcoming election in May. 'What If…?' introduces us to:- 'Reverend Haveitall', who is a fan of big business and couldn't be happier that democracy is dying in the UK. Will Reverend Shareitout stand by and let Reverend Haveitall celebrate? Will the passers by on Church Street let democracy die without trying to save it? All will be revealed on Saturday, 18 April 2015, when a most theatrical gang of gospel singing mourners comes into Town.  The 'Other Ways of Telling' performance group has been running in St.Helens since 2012. Set up by the 'theatre for social change' company, 'Collective Encounters', 'Other Ways of Telling' has worked with St. Helens Arts Service and a variety of other partners to deliver participatory workshops to people accessing or at risk of accessing adult health and social care services. This year, the group have shifted away from the adult health and social care agenda and participants have been focussing on developing specific performance skills such as acting and voice, with new partners:- 'Heart of Glass'. The group made up of adults from the local area have been meeting on a weekly basis to develop performance ideas around democracy and voter engagement prior to the General Election 2015. 'What If…?' was written by Sarah Thornton, and it is expected to take St. Helens by storm. Performances will take place, both up and down Church Street, in the Town Centre, at:- 12pm, 1.30pm and 3pm. The performances are free and there is no booking required, just turn up and watch the drama unfold.

Putting the port in Port Sunlight!

PORT Sunlight Museum's 'Soap and Water' is the latest special exhibition to be held at the venue. The exhibition was opened on Sunday, 22 March 2015, which was also International Water Day. For the area, water has played an important role in the Port Sunlight story for the last 125 years. From the founding of the Port Sunlight site in 1888 and the subsequent growth of the waterways that served the factory, through to the development of the new Port Sunlight River Park in 2014 and the on going management of water in the village, through tree planting schemes.  Stuart Irwin, collections and exhibitions officer for Port Sunlight Village Trust said:- "This exhibition tells the story of how village Founder William Hesketh Lever turned a small piece of marshland into a global business and thriving community for his workforce. For the 1st time we will explore the civil engineering that stopped water flowing through the site and the extensive network of drains underneath the village. The exhibition will also showcase Bromborough Dock, Lever's last great legacy and at 1 time the largest private dock in the world."

The exhibition ties in with the 175th Anniversary of Cunard and Transatlantic passage which is being celebrated across the Liverpool City Region in 2015. Katherine Lynch, Heritage Manager for Port Sunlight Village Trust said:- "Lever travelled extensively throughout his lifetime, both for business and for pleasure. There is no question that his international travels inspired the design and development of Port Sunlight particularly the Diamond area with its classical architecture and wide boulevards, which Port Sunlight Museum is set within. Port Sunlight continues to benefit from water tourism and is a popular destination for the many cruise ship passengers arriving in Liverpool today."

The exhibition will run until March 2016 and will be accompanied by a children's trail and a series of adult talks and tours by local historians. For more information visit our website.