 Felly, sy'n rhoi i ymddangos i mynd i'w panfod, i'w Llywodraeth Rwyfyrdd, mae'r rhaglion央ddbyr yn ddelch yn gynghori. Cymru yn ymgyrchu'r Rydw i'w Llywodraeth, a yna y gallwn ni'n ymddangos i fynd i'w. Foldw'r gyfwcom sydd hynny yn gwneud? Fy enw i ac yn ymdyn nhw, mae'r ymdyniaethau llunioangol a'r newydd i ddweud fel ymddangos am hyn, felly rydyn ni'n ei wneud. Mae'n rydyn ni'n aelod, I'm so excited this evening. I'm so looking forward to this evening. We've got Brilliant Cara and Kate here from the British Library and from Leish University and also a fantastic team led by Dermot and by Ellie. This whole evening is in the context of the Furness Festival, so Furness is everything we do, which is artistic development here at the Playhouse. It's a relatively large program of activity that involves artist development, the support of projects by independent artists and companies, are commission slate, our work next door with the Conservatoire and a whole host of other things that's vast and one of the really exciting things we've been partnering with the British Library and these university recently is this fantastic project that they've been doing to kind of really dig into the archives within the British Wythno, franecholwyr hallion a'r llyg Damelyn. Felly gwnaethom ni wedi'i yn fan o gwmpas gweld y flwyddyn, gotau cyfnodau oherwydd gwneud hynny sy'n gweld ym Paradise House na fynd yn argyffredig ac mae'r yma yn hynny'n gweithio'r cyfrannu am y cyfrannu'n gweithlo? Mae'n gweithio'n gweithio, mae'n gweithio'n gweld y rheolwyr hefyd. Mae'n gweithio'n gweithio, mae fe o ffordd o'i cyfrannu a'r argyffredig fel y cyfnodd a'r ysgolod, a rydyn ni'n meddwl i'w arfermwysgol. Mae'r cychwyn, yr ysgolodau, yn ymgyrch yn y byd, rydyn ni'n gweithio'r rhai gweithio'r cyfnodd. Yn gweithio'r bod y ffordd. Yr gweithio'r cyfnodd cyfeirio'r cyflwyno. Er modd y pethau, mae'n gweithio gweithio'r cyflwyno, You're saying even in this century these plays haven't been performed. So I just feel like just a little moment in history tonight everybody. Thank you for coming to be part of it. The structure of this evening is Kate is going to give a little welcome to everybody and tell you a bit more about the project that they've been working on. We're then going to see the two extracts and the two different plays. Then there's going to be a panel event and we'll be welcoming Ellie and Demet and also the very brilliant Amanda Hoxtable to join us for that panel event quechai gade Answer that Carla is going to lead on. And I'll be kind of keeping an eye because I was also welcoming people via a live stream very technological, this is going to be very exciting. So it's a little to be as some of the things we get up to as part of this, and I'm gonna welcome Kate on the stage. Good evening everyone. Fy enw i mi, a'r amgylchedd ar Amy ac i'r yw Llywodraeth Cymru o bwysig i'r ysgrifennu i'r ysgrifennu i'r ysgrifennu. I'm Kate Dossart. Rwy'n ei wneud o'r ffyrdd, ac mae'r ffordd yn cael ei bod yn cyfnod ar y Llywodraeth Cymru. Mae'r ffordd yn cymdeithasol i'r gwrthodol.voirddiant. It's wonderful to have so many people here tonight, and a warm welcome to everyone here at the playhouse. And the two plays we're going to be showing you scenes from tonight are Inta Homey & Leona Marson's, at Water Price. Inta Homey was is seen by scholars of musical theatre as probably the first full-length musical comedy written and performed by black theatre makers and it opened first on Broadway in February i'n ffemwy 1903. Felly byddai'n gynhyrch i Britten, sy'n gweithio i London, ysgrifetau Sgrifetau Sgrifetau yn ymlaen i'r fawr. Felly byddai'n cyd-rhyw ymlaen i'r Brytun. Felly byddai'n gweithio i'r cyfliadau a'r cyfliadau bwysig i'r cyfrifiadau i'r cyfrifiadau i'r cyfrifiadau i'r bwysig. Felly byddai'n gweithio i'r cyfrifiadau. Mae'n gweithio i'r cyfrifiadau. Mae'n gweithio i'r bwysig i'r cyfrifiadau sy'n gweithio i'r Brytun ac i'n bwysig i ysgrifetau Brytun, ac i'n bwysig i'r bwysig i'r bwysig i'r bwysig i'r bwysig, ac yn unig o'r sgwylio o'r safbwyntio byddai'n bwysig i Britten. Felly byddai'n gweithio i'r bwysig i'r bwysig, siarad ym 1737 a 1968, cyfrifiadau a'r ffysig i'r bwysig yn ymlaen i'r bwysig, ddim yn gwych o'r ddweud o beth yma, a ddim yn rhoi i ddim yn ymwneud ac yn sicr yn ymgyrchol o'r Ddiwrnod Cymru. Felly, mae'n ymddangos i ddweud yn ymddangosiaeth. Mae'n ymddangos i'r cyhoedd. Ond, yn ymddangos i ddim, mae'n ddweud yn ymddangosiaeth yr alyniadau. Ond, y cwestiynau ymddiadau'n gwybod yma, oherwydd i'n gweithio ymddangosiaeth i gael ymddangosiaeth. A fynd chnydwch am wneud y cwestiynau yw'r cyfrifau ar gael i'r ddweud o'r ddweud o'r sgolau a'r ddweud o'r cyfrifau ar gael i'r blaid. Yn fy nghylch ymwysig, y gallwn eu pwysigau ar gyfer arcau a'r blaid, mae'n ddweud ar gyfer y cyfrifau ar gyfer y gallwn cyfrifau. Felly, mae'n dweud mewn rhaid i'r cyfrifau a'r ddweud o'r cwestiynau ar gyfer yw'r rhaglen. Ac mae'n cael gweld i'r hyn o'r materialau ar y bach. Felly, mae'n gweld i'r hyn o ddiddordeb hwn yn ddiddordeb hynny, mae'r ddiddordeb hyn o ddiddordeb hynny. A'r ddiddordeb hwn yn y llangwyd, a'r ddiddordeb hyn o'r ddiddordeb hyn o ddiddordeb hwn yn ddiddordeb, mae'n meddwl i'r llangwyd gan gweithio a'r ddiddordeb hefyd o'r gwahanol o'r cyllid yr hyn sydd wedi mis yw ei bod yn ei fydd yn gweithio. Felly, ddweud ddweud â'r cymdeithasio sydd ymwneud am yma. Fytau bod yn meddylch i'r defnyddio ar gyfer â'r cyflog o'r ddaf am ymwneud am y prys. Ymryd i'r mewn mwyloeddus musi. Mae'r cy lleol yn unig o ddifrwng unrhywbeth, unrhywbeth, unrhywbeth, unrhywbeth, unrhywbeth, unrhywbeth, unrhywbeth, unrhywbeth, unrhywbeth, unrhywbeth, unrhywbeth. ymdilyniad, eich popeth oedd yn gwybod yma yma. Mae yna, mae mewn i gael i'r ffordd, ac mae'n gwleidio i'r ffordd, yn ffordd, ar y busch, gallu, y mwynt, i'r cyhoedd yma i'r ffordd. Mae'rれidio. Felly, mae'n fwrdd, mae'r lleidio ond. Mae'n bwysig o'r ffordd, mae'n bwysig o'r ffordd, mae'n bwysig o'r olio'r bwysig. Mae'n bwysig o'r blwyth, that mankind has ever known for fear. One will give the sailor man to any dark skin, son or daughter of the geniusynthocannis that I cannot immediately transform into an apollo or clear patcher with a first-year image worthy of a great goddess. Look here, Mr. Medicine Man, you expect to sell any of what you got there to anybody that lives here in Christchurch. You better bring your language down to the limitations of universal understanding. You speak this to be virtuous! Your impatience shall be rewarded. I'll come to the point at once. This compound, known as straight-alive, is the greatest heath tonic on earth. What will straight-alive do? Why? It cures dandruff, tetherage, and all scalp diseases at once and forever. It makes hair grow on bald head babies. It makes them curly hair straight as a stick in for one to ten days. Now straight-alive straightens cakey hair in from ten to thirty days. And most wonderful of all straight-alive straightens naffy or knotty hair. Well? In three days. I'll take me a ball of air! Wait, wait, wait, wait, wait, wait. That is not all. I have another preparation. Oblique cuticus. Oblique. In this case being an abbreviation of the word obliterate. Cutic. Taken from the word cuticle. The out-of-scheme. And cuts is what everybody does when the desired results are not obtained. But there is no word, no such word as faith. Now this wonderful facebleach removes the out-of-scheme and leaves it in its place a peach-like complexion that can't be duplicated even in peaches. Now change your black to white and vice versa. I'm going to spend only one day in your city but I'm going to convince you by exhibiting a living evidence of my assertions that these two grand preparations straight-align and oblique cuticus are the most wonderful discoveries of modern times. Now this young man. This young man is a martyr to science. Here you have the work of nature. Here the work of art. Here is the king of hair. Here is the long, straight, silky hair. Here are the brawns of nature. Here are the peach-like complexion. Now remember I'll leave here tomorrow at the gate of real Florida. Give me a bottle. Give me a bottle. Wait a minute, wait a minute. I'm not here to sell. I'm only advertising these two grand articles straight-align and oblique cuticus. And after dispensing a few coins of the realm, if you will accompany me for Skellor's Hall, I will place a few bottles of straight-align and oblique cuticus at your disposal. Now mind you, I'm not here to sell, but nearly to advertise. I'm not here to make money, but to get away. Two detectives box 13, which was the 13th of the month, a silver casket with a cat drawn on the outside. And the cat's out on the inside. Give me your address and said you can furnish anything from Chinese laundry to a bullpup. And that is why I write to you for a couple of detectives. And close, find two second-class pairs for detectives and two extra dollars if they find the cat's eye as it is very valuable. P.S. Don't forget the detectives. That's for yours. Sister O'Life's box 13, Gainerville, Florida. I'll see about your cake. And you've had more than your shit, and I figured a case for your case to a fogell. The more days a dog has, the more days a dog won't. And you, just naturally, got enough dog in you to want everything. You ain't mad, Cherna. Are you shy? See, I call you by the name mother used to call you. You ain't mad. Are you sure? No. I ain't mad. I'm here laughing because when we were coming up on that boat from down south, ever since we got off it. Ha ha ha ha ha ha. And I got work for every cent I made while we was on that boat coming up here. I'm laughing because after three days of getting in the town after working all winter, I've got to blow this face drum. I've got to blow this face drum for the salvation army to keep myself from starving. Well, it ain't my fault you got that drum. Now there isn't my fault that you worked all winter and haven't got anything. Now, I told you not to speculate with your money. Speculate. Speculate. Then I didn't lose my money, chicken crabs. I lost your speculation, but it won't do any good for you and I to squabble over what can't be helped. I'm in just as bad a fix as you are. And I believe all our bad luck came through that silver box I got holed up just in three hours before we struck the war. I don't know nothing about our bad luck, but I know about my bad luck. When that man came on board that boat with that rusty looking coat and wanted to sell that silver box, I was a first to reach out my hand and take it, but as soon as I seen that there was a cat scratched on the back, I turned around three times, walked back four steps, threw a shirt and did a bit of salt over my shoulder. Damn! And I gave him that box so quick. If I wasn't superstitious, I'd have sworn I seen that cat's whiskers move. Sha, did you see inside the box? No, sir. The outside was enough for me. There was a cat's eye in that box. And if you can see it, you don't catch a guy in our lives anyhow. And if that cat ain't been there but once, I just got eight more chances. Look here. You ain't got that thing in your pocket now, have you? No, no. I just let the fellow I sold it to just before we caught up the boat. Do you remember how many times that box changed hands before I got hold of it? Yeah. First that man with a rusty yellow coat offered to sell it for a dollar and six bits. Then I come and put it close to having it. Sha, don't you know every time I think of how now I come to having that box, it gives me the shit? Why, you ain't superstitious. Not excruciating it. But that cat's his bad luck, ain't it? But get back to the subject. He finally sold that box for six bits. And then I bow like a cook that bought it. He bought it for 13, he had it for just 13 minutes, right? Then it got broke. And then the man sold it at $13 after speculating with a cross-eye barber for about four minutes and 13 seconds. And the whole box changed hands again. Just about the time I begun speculating myself, I just lost sight of it until I saw you with it just before the boat left. And after the boat landed, it was a case of Roop Hoggan died till I got stuck blowing this here drum. You don't blow a drum, you beat a drum. If you been carrying this drum as far as I did, you know there's a whole lot of blowing that goes in it. Yes, I blow this drum. Well, we won't argue whether you beat or blow the drum. The financial question interests me more than anything else. You haven't got a cent, and not a lot. Now, what are we going to do? Well, I'm going to keep my job and salvation on. I don't like to hear you talk that way. We've been with each other all our lives. It's been a little rocky at times, I'll admit. But we've always managed to pull through. We've had our good luck and our bad luck. Sunshine and our rain. But we shared them all along. Together. You know, I didn't have a cent when I got off that boat. And today was the first time I actually put my feet under the table. And even then, I didn't have a number. Poke me. I wonder. By Jol, I'll ask a man to wait, gentlemen. Just a minute. Are you looking for work? Not if we could find something else to do. Yes. We would like to have a job. Yes, sir. We would. We would like to have a job. But we ain't looking for no work. Shut up. Let me talk to the gentleman. We are not engaged at the present time and wouldn't mind something. My name is Rita. And mine is Redback Pinkerton. Allow me to introduce my friend, Shylock Holmes. Strange coincidence. Won't my almost say your names were synonyms for the job I was about to offer you? Well, if the job is as heavy as the language, excuse me. Go ahead, Miss Rita. I want a little private detective work doing. In connection with this letter I hold here in my hand. I'll explain. An old gentleman living in Gaterville, Florida, being a little superstitious as he was, has lost an insignificant article to which he sets a great store. He considers the article to be of inestimatable value and has offered a reward of $500 for his return. Now, I have come to the conclusion that the old man in question has not lost the article, but being over-careful has hid the aforementioned article from himself as it were. So, I think, by careful search, you would very likely find the article among some of his defects that he has overlooked. However, he imagines it to be stolen. I guess we could candle the case, eh, Sherry? I hope so, John. The lost article is a silver casket. Was she talking about a coffee? Who ever heard of a coffee made of silver? The casket in this instance happens to be a silver box beautifully ornamented. The centre is perfectly smooth and highly polished and engraved is a casket. What's now with your friends? He has cataleptic bits. If you will step into my office, will you talk the matter over? You go on to be a detective. I'm going to keep my job at the Salvation Office. How's that sound? Go right ahead, Miss Rita. We'll join you in a few minutes. You don't want that from me. You don't know what good luck is until you're in good luck. The silver box he's talking about is the one I sold to the fella that I just left down and grabbed all saloon. We'll go down there, bring him up here. You go in and borrow $3 from Rita by the box. We won't tell Rita we've got it. Then we'll go down the gate of the Florida for a bluff. Live a week, give the old man the box and get the $500. We'll get the money first. The way you tell it, it sounds so natural. I could feel myself separating that old man from that $500. If it wasn't for that cat though. Instead of being bad luck, a cat turns out to be our best friend we ever had. After this, you ought to hug and kiss every cat you come across. I've got to admit it, if it wasn't for that cat, the picture of it, I couldn't tell that box from any other silver box. Therefore, I'm bound to respect cats. But as a flows class detective, I ain't going to go around hugging and kissing any other cat that I imagine. No matter how much I respect them. Come on, Siar, we're on the right path. Here's a sound post. Gatorville, 1-1. What's that? Gatorville, 100 miles yet? No, no. Gatorville, 1 mile and some more. Some more miles. Come on, it can't be much farther. Look, you could already see the housetops. I've been having the same birds eye view of them housetops since we got off that train. A detective is never supposed to get tired. While Nick Carter, an old sloop, would laugh at the idea of a detective on the rest that the rate we're going will be plumbed out before we get to town. I ain't worrying about getting in the town. If these people find out we just, we ain't no regular detective, the thing I'll figure is how we're going to get out of town. You're just as much of a detective as you ever going to be. I can see now you'll never be Nick Carter, an old sloop. Oh, you always cast enough reflections, huh? I heard of this man, old Nick Carter, or old roof. Never heard of Nick Carter, an old sloop. Why? Shy. They're the greatest detectives in the world. Nick Carter is the only man living that's been shot through the heart 41 times. An old sloop's been knocked in the head with his arms tied behind his back, a gag in his mouth, and thrown in every sewer in the town. Would that kind of treatment as a regular die? How long is a man supposed to last? Why, say, Shy, that ain't nothing. Old sloop, the Nick Carter, were both sent out to a western town to trace up some plant brothers. The brothers got word of it somehow, and we laid the train about 30 miles from the town. Imagine, a mountain pass, 50,000 feet above the level of the sea. A mountain pass, a mountain pass, a mountain pass, a mountain pass, 50,000 feet above the level of the sea. A bridge suspended in midair over a chasm, 1,050 feet. A stormy night, the snow falling, thick of fast, and not a shoe to be seen. The brothers, at the removing the middle span of the bridge, fled like spectres down the track, and they didn't wait behind a huge boulder. On the rush fast mail, every passenger was asleep, except him, Nick Carter, an old sloop. And they were playing pinnacle in the smoking apartment of the car. Threw a lip-wrap pinnacle, rip off a gatling gun, rang out the midnight air. Nick Carter was seen to rise suddenly to his skin, and take from the hat rack a bundle of rye whisking, take a drink and light a cigar, and cruelly raise the window to prevent the broken glass from entering the wounds made by the bullets of the bandits. Old sloop, always on the alert, threw a can of beer out the window, and the robber ceased firing long enough to secure the beer, by which time the train was well on its way to the deadly bridge, little dreaming of the danger ahead. Nick Carter sat down to trim his cords, when Old Sloop, whose hearing was wonderfully acute, said, Nick, the middle span of the bridge is out. I can hear the air sucking the broken whale. Something must be done. A quick as a flash, Nick cut the bell cord with his cord now, plunged through the window, cut the telegraph wire, which broke with his wing, attached the bell to the span that had been removed, which fortunately had landed on a pad of marsh, and remained intact, past the other end to Old Sloop, who had by this time reached the cow catcher of the engine, with superhuman effort, the span was snatched to place, and the lives of the sleeping passengers was safe. I beat, did you say that, Captain, worth 1,000 feet, that I suppose Nick Carter, having rubber soles on his shoes, hit himself on the top of the head, and bounced back into the smoking department on a car, and played pinnacle until he rolled into town. Nothing so unreasonable as that, an artificial lake at the head of the cat used as a reservoir, became flooded and burst its bags. The water was full, became flooded and burst its bags. The water swept through the chasm, and carried Nick Carter to town 30 miles away, and landed him on the platform of the depot, just as the train pulled in with Old Sloop, standing on the cab of the engine, smoking a child's cigar. Now I know it's taken advantage of your good nature to ask any more questions, but would you kindly tell me if these robbers were apprehended? Now I can see you are improving. Only a first-class detective would use a word like apprehended. Yes, they were caught after a number of even more blood-curdling incidents that I've related to you. Just a finishing incident, those of you. But the robbers, after securing the pier that Old Sloop threw out the window, descended to a valley 26,206 feet below. By actual measurements? Yes, by actual measurements. How many robbers would say? Three. Well, I believe that part of the story. Which part? The part that I cooked you off on and you didn't actually say. The part where the three robbers actually, after drinking a keg of beer, laid down. Well, after that, Nick Carter opened his satchel on the platform with the depot, took out an airship while Old Sloop, unscrewing the top of his walking cane, removed the large electric light plant. Tell them that. You needn't explain any more. I can see them robbers was up against it. Come on, Sean. I'll tell you the rest of the story. You ain't got to tell me the rest. Cos, naturally, I'm ashamed to listen to you. It's post. It's so dark I can't see no post. Here's the post. There's a ladder over there. I told you it's so dark. How you expected to see that? Ladder. That's it. Now, pick it up. Place it here. Stop that. Come on. When I get up there, don't let me find you. Hug me down. Now, listen here. We ain't taking a mighty risk and a big chance coming up in Osiros house like this. Don't talk so loud. There must be a mystery surrounding everything we do. Yes. And if we keep doing these kind of tricks we'll be surrounded all right and it won't be no mystery. Shut your mouth and listen to me. You know that the cats aren't in this place and I'm not knowing it here either. Now, we've got to tell this old man some fish story to keep our reputation as a detective. I don't know nothing about no fish. I have it. I know that yon backwards. Someone's coming. Quick, stand still. You don't seem a bit upset. Aren't you sorry to be leaving us? Don't be silly Rob. Of course I am. Would you expect me to go about the place with a tower on my neck bumping up tears? You have known me long enough to realise that I don't wear my heart on my sweet. I sometimes wonder if you've been up one. Maybe I haven't. But the only one who has been clever enough to discover that fact. I'm sorry. I really didn't mean it. You never seem to miss the opportunity of hurting me. Goodness, Rob. You know I would not hurt you deliberately. You are such a good pal. Ruth, do you think you are wise taking this job? After all, things are not so bad with your father and later my dad might be able to give you some typing work to do? Don't let's go over this again. I have accepted this job and I am going to try it. I am not going away forever. The way you all carry on I think I was going out of Timbock too. But you don't realise how much I have done. Yes, I realise that father and mother have sacrificed a lot to give you a good education. After all that they have done, I cannot sit around here doing nothing. Besides, I would look it enough to the ornamental. I will take that to granted. You don't care, you! Oh, do let's be serious for a while. You help your mother in the house and your father in the office. I don't think how the people in the district love you, really worship you and you are such a help to them and I why you are the only real friend I have. Your place is here with us. Oh, the place where the defence rests? Rob, tactically all the girls who went to school with me and left when I did. They are working now though some of them have quite bloody parents. Now you know that business is not flourishing and I would like to be of some help to him. Now if there were no place for you in your father's office you'd be in the city yourself. But I am a man. He's so absolutely Victorian I can tell within women's places in the house. Those words are only used today but as a topic for debating societies. But the fact remains women going in for work in this whole sale manner it's upsetting the apricot! It reminds me that all won't write things. Oh, Rob, snap out of it. You're being selfish. Very well, Rob. You know you have my heart's best interests. And I have my heart's best wishes. You will write me often and tell me about everything. You ask too much, young man. I'll write you occasionally and tell you something. Rob, have you ever thought about the future? About life? About love? Naturally. But why are you so terribly serious? But you're going tomorrow. It's nothing. But I really want to tell you that life won't be the same without you. Can't you understand? Rob, please, don't. But you're going tomorrow. Maybe I'll hear before I see you again. If you would only promise to let me be the first thing I hear. You can bring such a lot to me. Rob, you are the best power I have ever had. We have been friends since I can remember myself. Don't let us spoil it by your falling in love with me. It won't spoil our friendship. You got all that from silly novel things. Now really, Rob, what do you know about love yourself? Nothing. I want to keep away from those arrows. You can't. If you would stay, I could teach you. Maybe when I come back, I will. I'll feel differently. But now I want to work like other girls. Forgive me, Rob. Someday you will feel differently. You will realise that though you may be successful, though you may have friends and money, your life will still be empty without love. I don't like you a bit when you're serious. Are you going to be nicer? Nothing until you promise to remember me sometimes and take the best care of yourself. I promise. Now smile. I'm smiling. With tears in my eyes. Are you coming to this nation? Of course. But aren't you going to say goodbye? Goodbye! You are mean. Not mean, just lazy. Till tomorrow. Good night. Good night. It's in the dogs, Paul Kidd. She's in her helmet when Jack and the others are here. But Mrs Baker is so cranky when I don't like to ask her after. It was awful the way she acted the last time that they were here. You surely she can't expect us to live like normal in a condens? Sibyl wants to come round after her exams and Gloria will find some place she can be herself. Then only be Adrian Holtman. She's after Mrs Baker's own heart. They'll be glad when the noisy ones to come. G-Vertal. I feel so nervous. Mr Fenthrine is late. I wonder if he's decided not to come. He is really bringing me a book. I tried to persuade him not to come but I'm afraid I'm not very sincere in my dissuasion. Why? Are you feeling lonely here? No, not a bit. Not with you and Gloria here. I just love to talk to him. He's always tried to get me to be more sociable with him at the office. I don't know what it is but every time he starts talking I go all of a quiver at my mouth and start to refuse to speak. I feel so inane. I don't know. Bro. Okay, but we had a long conversation this afternoon. I wonder what there was in common. He is wonderful. He has such a lovely way of speaking. Take my advice, kiddo. Don't judge a man by his talk. But to the talk. The bigger rogue he is. I just have a picture and I've even tried to make love to him. He is absolutely charming. He is really very clever and so different from the boys that we want. He's the most dangerous type of girls like us. They start off by being fatherly and end by denying any knowledge of fatherhood. Go, go. Put yourself together with this man. Maybe a little plain speaking won't hurt you. You really are such a youngster you know. Am I? Honestly. I am deadly serious rogue. There is no danger in running around with boys of our own set. Chanty ma, one of them may fall in love with you and if you are sufficiently crazy you will end up marrying him. When you struggle along ever after or next to nothing raise up half of those unbrats and all of that. But ma, you will bear the stamp of respectability to us. Have the approval of all and sundry. On the other hand you have an affair with my life Gerald Fitzrae and well there is clothes and money and possibly a good time if you can call it a good time. But it doesn't work. In the long run the girl always pays. Suddenly one day she wakes up and realizes she has shattered everything that comes. You don't think I'm that type do you? Naturally not. But you can be swept off your feet you are not here about him you know. Don't be a seal. He is adorable. It's jolly decent of you to talk to me like this you know. So do you know him at all? Yes. I've known him for years. That must be him. I've got to beat it. Why? To his company. No, why? I'm not sure I'll be listless at the game. Mother is ill. I'm afraid I shall be going home. There are other things besides. I'm sorry to hear that. When are you thinking of going? In a week. That is if mother does not get any worse. I'm expecting more news tomorrow. I am giving him my resignation at the office then. Are you putting someone in your place so you can get your job back when you return? I am not returning. Not returning? I have noticed you seem to be a bit worried of late. I didn't like to ask you. I might have thought I was interfering. What is anything wrong? Tell me. Is it about Fitzrae? Yes. Did you go out driving with him? Yes. But why didn't you tell me? It was not that evening. We discussed them with it. Yes, but only they once. Then why hasn't it been here since? Because I asked him not to come. Why? Nothing. Forgive me for questioning you like this. But I must know. I want to help you. If I can. Oh, you said you would not. Because he said he loved me. Honestly. I told him I did not believe him. Why he did? Poor kid. Fitzrae is engaged. That is what I was about to tell you when he interrupted our conversation. If I am told you I am sure you wouldn't have gone. Or why must things happen, sir? Fitzrae engaged? You said Fitzrae was engaged? To who? What does it matter now? Do you love him? Yes, I thought I did. I don't know. Does he know that you love him? I suppose so. Are you going to tell him what has happened? You are so wonderful. So understanding. I wish I had told you everything all along. No. No, I would not tell him. He must never know. I shall put him out of my life forever. And I must go through with this alone. Can't put a fool I was. Was all a mistake? I see it clearly now. I can never forgive myself. On the roofing. Will all come right? I have written to tell Mother. So break her heart. What will Rob say? Anything is better than... You don't know what you're saying, child. Poor kid. So please, don't worry at all. After fool? And I felt so sure of myself. If it's why I really love you. If you felt sure. And he asked you to marry him. Would you? I don't think so now. It would be so comfortable to know that he was not such a kid. Surely we can't be in love with his fiance. Because if so he could never have been loved to me the way he did. It was impossible. Oh, you're not nothing about men. I wish I had been less approved and told you more on the basis that he actually made you think he would marry a marriage. They know what one guy magic with innocent girls like you. Nurtle. Life has hurt you cruelly, hasn't it? Oh, I have learnt my lessons. Thank God. A terrible experience rule can make all break one. It can give you sympathy and understanding. Don't be too harming yourself. But what hope is there for me? You don't think me a coward, Nurtle. I can face it, but the others I can't. Oh, Nurtle. Don't give yourself away like that, dear. Just believe that somehow life will break. I will do what I can. Completely fucked out. Come along now. Get some sleep. And don't you go down to work tomorrow to one minute after ten. You promise? All right, Nurtle. I promise. Good night, dear. Such a nice kid. I will get you, Gerald Fitzroy. If it is the last thing I do. I have been expecting you all evening. I wish I was giving up more. I thought you decided to drive through without stopping at all. Nurtle had to stop on business here in Hill of Press. So I made him drop me at the office first. We must start again immediately. But how many are giving you two weeks leave? Aren't you going to spend a week with me as you promised? Yes, if you will have me. This week with my cousin next week with you. That is the program. If it is convenient to you. I wish you could spend two weeks here. But I would love it. I didn't have a chance to talk to you after I saw Gerald. No. You left in a hurry. I didn't realize you were coming to last time. You're not in my room. Bob came into town to fetch his father's car. For me, he was in a frightful hurry. Because I was so upset. I was glad to get away. Nurtle, it was dreadful. Please, sit down with me. Gerald insisted that I had some reason for leaving other than mother's illness. I denied it. He was furious. I think just as though he knew that I was hiding something. Nurtle, you don't think he knows, do you? He may suspect. But he can't be sure. You haven't told him anything, have you? No. He will never know. He asked me to reconsider and turn in and wanted to know if I need money or anything. As if I take a premiere hits. He wanted to know why I refused to see him away from the office. I told him I was ashamed and disgusted. He seemed desperate, Nurtle. I don't know how to explain it exactly. But I have never seen him that way before. As if he had lost his head. And yet he was in absolute earnest. I begged him to stop. That he was torturing me to let me go. But he would not listen. Then he proposed to me. Beg me to marry him. Actually beg me to marry him. And he saw he was crazy about me. That he loved me. He seemed to mean it, you know. For a minute I was happy. It all seemed like a dream, you know. That I could hear my voice answering his. He was like another person speaking. He sounded so calm, so natural. I reminded him of his engagement to June. And I told him he offered me marriage because he thought he had wronged me. But I assumed he would forget that. Soon he would forget that. And were I to accept him in time he would only remember that I, his wife was not of his sight. Not of his colour. And he would hate me. Then I told him too that I did not know if I loved him and he had hurt me terribly. I only wanted to get away. To forget. But dear, under the circumstances do you think you are wise in refusing him? I have thought about that. I have thought of everything and I am sure that I have done the right thing. But why should I suffer so for one mistake? Let's not talk about it anymore. But I must tell you about Rob. He is. Am I not the best judge of whether you are being fair to me or not, Ruth? I have got some right to make you listen. Right? Yes. The right of... Because I love you. Is that not sufficient enough reason to prevent you from smiling your life and mine? You don't know. You don't realise what this means. You are doing this to save me. You are deliberately sacrificing yourself. Because you think you love me now. But later you will feel differently. This is too much. I have heard enough of this in the last week. I am not a boy changing my mind every two minutes. I am a man now. I will never feel differently. I love you now as I always have loved you. And I always shall do. I love you. Nothing can change that. Then why can't you wait just a year? Ask again if a year. If you still feel the same. So you still doubt me. Wait, what for? Think of your mother and your father. Are you going to make them suffer? Willfully? Go through all this? And your friends? I can hear them whispering now. Whispering about you. While I stand here. All helpless. I am sorry, Rob. Why do you say things like that? I have got to speak like that. And you must listen to me. Can't you see I'm right? I don't know. I am so tired. I can't think. What you need to think. Let me think for you. Are you quite sure you want it? Need you ask? No, Rob. There is no need for me to ask. I know it too well. Then why do you persist my dear? I'm afraid I will sever just now. But I will try to make you understand. Forgive me. No, Rob. Don't ask me to forgive you. How could you? Ruth. If you will only marry me. We could fierce life together. Darling. We all need mistakes. I want to make you happy. You deserve to be. I don't, Rob. I shall try. For I love you. At least we have found our happiness. Yes. But what a price. So all of the plays were submitted. I am just going to read the reader's report. For that last piece that you saw. What a price. This play is for you. This play is to be produced. I'm going to read the beta. I'm reading your words. This play is to be produced by the League of Colored Peoples. It seems to have no particular relation to the objects of that institution. Except that the scene is in Jamaica. Some of the minor characters are coloured and speak a more or less diverting dialect. The main story is presumably about English people. It is an old story. It is a story about English people. It is an old story. It is an old-fashioned art-less affair. It is an old-fashioned art-less affair. The heroine, Ruth, is the daughter of a storekeeper in the village. The heroine, Ruth, is the daughter of a storekeeper in the village. Adored by the colored people. Adored by a young man next door, Rob. Adored by a young man next door, Rob. She goes to be a typist in Kingston. She goes to be a typist in Kingston. There her employer fits Roy makes love to her and seduces her under a promise of marriage. She is with child. At least we think so. But this is very delicately suggested. Another girl who can expose to its Roy as an embezzler makes him ask Ruth to marry him. But she refuses and goes home and Rob, having been told by her mother about what has happened, still wants to marry her and she accepts him. Nothing to censor. Recommended for lessons. I would urge any of you in the matter of what your interests the British Library has something for you. We are slogan as we are for everyone and you can access our collections in Boston's bar as well as London. So British Library plug over. I'm going to introduce our panellists. So first here we have Amanda Puckstable. She's a theatre director and writer well known for her work to improve the diversity of the cultural sector. She's a theatre director and writer to improve the diversity of the cultural sector. She's currently co-director of Vanitas Arts with Shelly Harris and is chair of RJC Dance in Charlottetown here in Leeds. The most recent show is Nine Night by Natasha Gordon. This is co-produced by Leeds Playhouse and Waterloo Playhouse. Next we have Ellie Manners who's a facilitator, theatre maker and voice coach. As she trained at Rose Briford, who's been acting in the Ardison Theatre. She plays utilising actors and accents from the African diaspora along with some work on Love to Girl Musicals which I'm sorry we didn't get to see enough of today as a musicals fan. Her direction credits include Productions at Leeds Playhouse and the Tootie Fruity and as a facilitator her work is focused on creative engagement. Finally we have Dermot Daley who is a director, performer and academic he's the Associate Artistic Director and he was nominated for Best Director at the 2022 Black British Theatre Awards. I know I'm going to say this because you gave me the details. So shall I just stop my sentence again? He was nominated for Best Director at the 2022 Black British Theatre Awards. His work on My Boys Was Her but Who Was Ignored which also won the Lostal Award at the Edinburgh Bridge Festival and in recent directing credits are organisations including The Magistral Exchange, Lambda, BBC Radio 4, Leeds Playhouse he's also a faculty member at the Leeds Conservatoire and as a pleasure lecturer at Leeds Becket so well done. So I was going to maybe offer Elliot a chance so we heard a little bit from Dermot about some of the Read from the Sensors report I was wondering maybe Elliot first to you what inspired you to choose to stage? I think I was really fascinated by it being the first full scale musical with a full black cast happening in the UK but also I really intrigued by that first opening scene with the kind of medicine around all this conversation around hair and around skin colour and the different skin colour didn't surprise me in any way shape or form but the real focus on hair kind of did was to go along a guy to already have those Eurocentric beauty standards and then also just despite that it had just been really joyous and funny and fun was what drew me to that point and maybe Dermot why did you choose that with Christ? Initially because it felt like it could have been written now the language that hasn't played to the storyline certainly hasn't and it's actually really nice to find a story that involved black characters that isn't about them being black characters that it's just about this woman finding her way in the world and and it's funny there's like some real lovely moments of humour in there but yeah just the modernness of it it genuinely feels like it could have been written last year and as you say the fact that it's so not about race that the censors didn't even see race that's fascinating it's bizarre and it makes you reflect obviously on the prejudices of though to people censoring that's wonderful and so you were both involved earlier this year you came to the British Library we had a chance to look at a range of plays which Kate's research had uncovered and you both chose these ones I don't know if you could reflect on that experience of encountering a body of work and particularly in the context of our time and yeah we both looked at another play didn't we? which I'll let you talk about in a minute we were in a really grand room and with faces lots of white male faces looking at us and I think a few of us did think about what were those white male faces thinking about these black bits making us being in a space and looking at these plays and these huge books some of them these pages not have been turned for such a long time I think the other thing that astounded me a little was just the way in which things were just scribbled out there was lots of things about God that was scribbled out lots of things to do with religion but you know kind of really racist language was completely acceptable and just there in black and white so that was quite taking it back a little bit especially thinking about these white faces and watching us but yeah it was really magical actually to be able to be in that room and experience those plays with lots of brilliant historians who knew so much that I did and it was brilliant as well I think it's bonkers just generally I'm going to say I'm Lucustin Rowan because I remember the reason why that really got me picking up at what price I do remember picking up and it is as I understand it the copy that's in the British Library is the only known copy of that play in the world let's just sit with that it's a play by a Jamaican playwright who lived in England and it's the only known copy in the world and we didn't know it was there I think that there's something about holding something that was held at some point by the person who wrote it and we weren't on the planet at the same time there's something really magical about that there's something also really sad about that that I had not heard of this person before going and having a look at that archive and learning more as I have done about her in the research but for this she was the first black playwright to have a show on in the West End what? and we don't know her you know she was the first black producer of BBC she was mates with George Orwell how do we not know that I mean I'm asking rhetorical questions but I find that fascinating but yeah going back to one of the casta the censors report and I can't remember the exact phrasing but the censors report I remember I remember calling you over and saying can you have a look at that I've read it I can't remember the phrasing but it was the most racist thing I have read and I've read a lot of stuff and I live in this skin in this country at this time it was the most racist thing I've ever read and it was just there it was a matter of fact thing I couldn't get my head around it could not get my head around it and also I was just going to say that I think one of the reasons it's so disturbing is that language used by somebody in an official capacity this was a functionary of a government to express themselves and if you think in a creative in what should be a creative field I think that definitely has additional power going back to what Kate was saying about archives of surveillance and censorship for sure but as somebody who works in a library you have to say your account of the magic of touching materials and being kind of there as a link to people you can never contact you can never engage with otherwise is really wonderful thank you so if I can turn to you Amanda just say what does this all make you think about your practice as an active producer of a theatre now how does learning about these materials from 100 years ago what does that make you think about the first thing I have to say thank you for mentioning Amanda for what Amanda mentioned at first we recently lost a cast member Josephine Melford she would have loved to know she was an archivist and she collected the history of our stories and obviously she couldn't have done that in the last 100 years but she said in the time she was here so I wanted to come and celebrate that and mention that I had the privilege of sitting in the slump seat watching that extraordinary performance and thank you for sharing that and what it makes me think about is if players could talk because they can if they could say you'll find me I think the context that they've found in in terms of censorship is really interesting there's so many people in the house that understand what I'm talking about Joe Williams he did it with him to preserve and protect that's not what the purpose of to solve that the collection was not to preserve and protect it was to hide and it was sure that we didn't see about that life and said good to go good to go if they'd known about the great tech I think it's lovely to players are to be heard and so thank you for the timing the rhythm, the journey, the energy that you gave to every part of those words that were given by that writer and thank you for the direction of that because that's the bottom line it was written to be heard and to be felt and understood and so in terms of my practice to know that there are yet to be finding things that we didn't know hidden stories and when we say hidden stories we need it while we're here let's find them and let's interpret them, let's reinterpret them let's find out what we're trying to say to us clearly I mean for me I've had the privilege of being in spaces to read and read and read and help writers read at a prize and I've read for years as well and so I've had the great opportunity to read across the world I was able to see the patterns of the streets and so when we have the chance to hear it's like time travel right it's like time travel and then you can connect and they're oh so that's exactly the same I'm more of an or I haven't thought that they were that modern they're not modern at all it's just humanity right sex is sex right and that's that and I love the way they reported that delicately food the way your eyes are through I love that the non-verbals break yeah so in terms of practice obviously I've had the privilege of being right up close watching and hearing and feeling every moment I think I hear what you're saying about the sadness but I think I'm going to live with the joy of thank God they're here there's a sadness in terms of I wish I listened science fiction fantasy I want to be time travelling I want to be everywhere I want to you know and this is the best way I can do it if I you know we have to remember the context of what we're finding then we are the fortunate ones to be here at this point this moment this time to be dealing with what it is to be us and they could never have imagined us sitting here talking with wonderful audience about this moment when the master would have definitely had a radio show about that I'm sorry I can't bring the BBC to us but we do have our international audience on the live stream so if you have questions do you prepare them there's something about stories in the world and I tend to think that stories shape the world in which we live and if stories aren't there then what world are we living in it's really important to find these stories it's really important to share these stories because they broaden our scope they allow us to see more they allow us to feel more they allow us to see the world in a different way in a better way in a more open way just to add on to what you were saying well the one thing I wanted to pick up is Bob for gathering their thoughts for the questions all of you obviously have opportunities particularly to interact with with younger playwrights, younger directors performers and that was something that came up a lot in the discussions that we had around the library and I was wondering if you could reflect a little bit on what you think of the value of these historic materials in a sort of education context knowing that there are roots means that you can grow further I'll leave it there no that's true and I think it's particularly about what you were saying about Una Marsden and I'm a really early career director and I think knowing that there was being it's so good to be sat here because these people have gone before me and you have done just brilliant things that was also beautiful like 100 years ago but I just didn't even before now I didn't even know existed but that means a lot it really doesn't mean a lot so yeah and then I'm going to pass that on to all the younger people that I work with and say we were here and we were doing this and this is ours just as much as anybody else is I think in terms of education and writing I'm always going to I okay over the Covid period which we are still in understand but in terms of the lockdown I had the honour of working with a lot of writers and one of the things I say and work with in terms of black writers is be free so I think it's really interesting in terms of the censorship and commission and audiences because one of the things we haven't got here is the audience that they're playing to who are you writing for what are you censoring and ready about yourself and how can you be free and I think there's something about the writing here that is certainly with the Jamaican text that there's a freeness and understanding the language and you know okay thank you so much for allowing me to have the script quickly in terms of the Pagamina one where you could it's the language written down the oral language written down and so it's about the ear and what you're hearing every day and you're not speaking to others just speaking to yourself with your media because I think that's a really interesting in terms of freeing yourself and not censoring yourself and just writing and who are you to join in and hopefully be about for the people that's what I think is really interesting any questions for our esteemed panel okay off at the back I came because of Joe and I I came because I was especially interested in what was being presented to you last time unfortunately because I know about her work I've known about her work I've known about her work for a number of years I've got a clear light and points and for journalists and I think it's really important that it's something, it's a question is whether there's a comment and that's okay I think it's important that not just as black people but as people we've researched archives and I'm just going by that you should write that particular perspective? and also other things? and it's really about your experience and the question is, in all research about outcomes, what other information do you come across in regards to velocitykeast? Not just as a player, as a person, I think it's really learning about that. notonwyd yn ddim yn fwy o'r dyma o'r adnod mewn gwelltyniad. Byddwn i'n ddech chi'n gweld unrhyw gwych i'n parwyn, oedd wrth iddyn nhw'n gweithio'r hyffordd a'r gallu honno i gwyll expansionol. Mae'n gwych yn gallu'n gwybod i gael gwych ei ddefnyddio i wneud i ddim yn darllen o'r busnes f historyn, Mae'n gwych i ddim yn d兙w i'r gwych. Ie ddifrif o'r cerddur i殺io eich bod gynhyrch yn Llyfrgellurverd, ac mae'n sefydlu bod i'r rydyn ni'n ei geisio. Tartu, rydyn ni wedi gŵr, rydyn ni'n mynd i'n gwybod i dd Body heriau a rydyn ni'n mynd i, ac rydyn ni'n mynd i chi. A gallwch chi'n gweithio i chi'n cerddur. dweud sut iddo yn gwneud yn y bydd, ychydig i gyda'u hynny, er fydd yn rhan o'r ffrwg yw ddweud. Ond y ffyrdd y gweithio'n dweud yn y bydd, ond y gweithio'r gweithio'n gweithio oherwydd, ydw i'r ffyrdd y gweithio'n gweithio hanfodol i'r fforddau a'r gweithio yn ymddangos, i ddwy gael yn cyfnodol biograff. A oedd yn gweithio'n gweithio ymddangos o cyfarwyddwyr sgwrs yma'r gweithio ond mae'r cyffordd yn y gynhyrch o'r eiffryd. Mae gafodd yn ddechrau, achos ídddon, edrych o'r cyffordd yn unrhyw. Wrth gwrth bod yn mynd yn ddechrau'n gwybod ond mae'n ddysgu eich cyffordd yn yma. Ond, oherwydd nad yw'n gwybod, mae'r gwybod yn ymdweud yma. Narod. Nid yn cael eiichi bod ysgrifennidio microwave a'r bobl yn ddweud i'u cyffordd. Fe'i bod yn ffysg, mor ymddangol o'r ohol a Rhaid Ieithrhyw Llywodraeth yn ddau'rthoes byddai'n gwrth sydd yn ei ddweud, a'r Rhaid Ieithrhyw Llywodraeth yn ddau'r thoes byddai'n gobylion yn gyfnodd fel hyn. Rydyn ni'n ddweud yn gweithio hyn, a dyna'r ddweud hynny'n gweithio hynny. Dwi'n ddweud yn y meddwl. Rydyn ni'n ddweud hynny'n gweithio hynny'n gweithio'r ddweud hynny'n gweithio hynny'n gweithio. ac felly, i gael fy nghymru, gallwn i'n cysylltu gwahol, rydyn ni wedi'i gwahodd ar y cwmdoch chi ein bod yn mynd i ddechrau'r cwmwys. Yn mynd i'n gwneud, mae'n gweithio'r bwysig i ni'n gweithio gweithio'r bobl yn y cwmwys. Felly mae'r fforddi yn ffwylltio. Mae'r ffordd yn y ffordd, fel ffordd, rydyn ni wedi lawer o'r ffordd, mae'n rhaid i'r ffordd o wath yn y cyfnodd yma. was based on what she experienced, and obviously as writers, your experiences go into your work and I think sitting all of these plays within a wider context of who wrote them, why they wrote them, when they wrote them, who they wrote them for, is I think, I'm looking at UK, is the next iteration of this research of pulling all of that together because in isolation it means nothing, isolation is a lovely thing. It's a lovely play, it's a brilliantly written play. As a theatre maker, it fills me. But as someone who is interested in histories, someone who is interested in how and why, that play doesn't give me everything. So I think sitting within that and also being able to look at a picture that I've known for 30 years and knowing who that woman is. I don't know what more to say for DJI. Apart from, I'm sorry, I feel like I've let you down. I was also just going to add, I imagine some people in the audience might have seen it, but as part of the BBC's 100th anniversary there's a documentary about UMars and which I think Lenny Henry's production company made. And it's on air at the moment. And it's work-watching, it covers a lot of the biography, it's obviously focused more on her work. And I was just interested in the section where they mentioned the play, clearly the people who commented on it had not read it. Just because it's hard to find as we've been discussing. You've got one of them. Exactly, opportunities to grow knowledge. So we've got any more questions? Is there any chance that the project quality for her play? Yes, Cara, is there any chance that the British play will be played? Yes, so the comment was about being pleased that UMars is getting more attention and also commenting that there's two other plays that she produced. So those two plays have been published. So they were published by Blue Banyan Press, I believe, in Jamaica in 2016. So about five years ago, same age as my son, six and a half years ago. So those are available. And that was for those of you who are geeky and like history, it was an interesting moment in Jamaican copyright law where basically one load of laws were coming where no longer applicable and a new regime was about to start. And there was a little window where Marsden's book was out of copyright. But it is now closed. But they published both of those and they didn't have access at what price the publisher is to produce it. As part of the project at the British Library, the Ethel Centre where I work has funded the digitisation of a number of the plays which were included in the Lord Chamber of the Plays and at what price is one of them. So you can now read the whole thing online. It's the manuscript, it's photographed. So you actually get to see the play script which, as Ellie says, has a lot of magic in itself. And you can see how often there's edits on the page so you can tell authors. It was hard to copy things in the past. You just sent a copy that you had. I always find that quite an exciting moment. But there's a link, I think, in the programme. For those online, the programme is available digitally. There's a link to it and those of you here. So you can find the centres report and the whole play script. So we have published it to a centre. It's not a reproduced edited copy, but I think it helps you get a sense of the archive, which I hope people will be interested in as well. It's easy for us to learn which is past the point that comes to the institution of the time itself. I'm sorry about the accessibility that happens in the play. So it works so well with the library that I'm making for as well. So we use these archives. A lot of people who don't have the archive actually. It's a question about the role of an institution like the British Library as a gatekeeper for these kinds of collections and the politics around who gets to access them. That's a very fair point. One of the reasons why Kate and I started talking about it is the fact that it's a very physical collection. It's actually the 20th century materials. You have to access through a card catalogue. If you come into the reading room, you can't even search them online. Part of the project work that we've been doing is actually digitising that and getting a catalogue online, which we're at least able to know what's there without having to come into the room. So it's the largest manuscript collection that the library cares for. Obviously, as I said at the beginning, our mission is to be for everybody and we are very conscious that that's often historically meant academic researchers. Those were people who came and used the library and also meant senior academic researchers. There was very much not even a culture of welcoming in undergraduates. The library has made strides in the past, definitely 20 years, to open itself up and make itself more accessible. But we're really conscious that caring for 170 million items, we don't have the money to digitise them. We're funded by the taxpayer. We can't make everything. Also sometimes actually that digitisation is great but you also want to be able to invite people in. Access, physical encounter is also important. So it's finding ways to do that. So this project was really a wonderful opportunity for us at the library to think about shining a spotlight on an under-researched and under-understood part of the collection. But we're also very conscious that encountering incredibly racist and damaging material as a researcher is an unpleasant experience and to think about how does research culture not support people encountering difficult material. So that was when we had the day that you were talking about when we brought everyone in. Kate and I were talking about it with other colleagues in the libraries that we wanted to make a chatty reading room. We didn't want people to have to work in silence to have to encounter this material one-to-one. There was talking which was what we wanted. So I think there's a lot of things that we need to keep pushing the boundaries and to keep thinking about how do we invite people in to a large research organisation where this material is but people don't know. And if you don't make yourself accessible and available, also recognising the fact that there are continued to be barriers and how do you keep pushing it those. I'm really not the one who's meant to be here talking. I'm sorry, this is very much meant to you guys, but I do think it's important. I think it goes to the heart of why we wanted to do it. And I'm so glad that we were able to work with creative and wonderful people such as yourself to really bring these to life. I think it's something about taking the work to people. But the idea that we had to, so we're all based up here, that we had to get on train to go to London, we had to sign up to get our British Library library card and then we showed where to go and the place had already been kind of taken out and put in the reading room for us, but we've shown how to access them. Genuinely, I think I'd find it quite difficult if I was doing it on my own, if not impossible. And I think that talks a lot to the impenetrability and the gatekeeping that you mentioned. I know they're in that building, but if I went there tomorrow, I'd have to give you a ring and say, can't you help me? Because I wouldn't know which floor to go to and say the right, but where are they? I don't know. I don't have answers. I want to point out you don't just have to phone me. You have my number, so that's fine. There are reference staff in all the reading rooms there to answer questions, but it can feel intimidating. I remember as a student, I never asked, I like to say this story, I wrote a whole PhD thesis thinking that I couldn't look at official US government records because they were all in Washington and I had no idea that they were in the British Library until I worked there. No one's going to get it right all the time, but I want to assure you that somebody would help you find me. I've said I wasn't there at the British Library, I wasn't part of that journey, it was a point in time. I think it's interesting in terms of the very language of British Library and what that means. On current, I had a quick conversation before we came on about the kind of access nationally to our hour records and I mean our records in every way. We have an international audience tonight and it's good to know that people are here from, you know, from North Jamaica listening in to this journey. Susan Croft has just shared a question and she has been part of this journey of archiving and taking care of the heritage for a very long time. In terms of access, the builders are important, but I know for a fact that there's more outside buildings that have been taken care of. I know that because of people who are in this space. I'm very excited by the digitisation of the work and getting more to each other. As soon as you talk on it, you can find it on here. They belong to us and it's for us to be in the spaces. I know it's taken us far too long, it's taken the time it's taken. So in terms of the people who are in the buildings, looking more like this room than not, in terms of our power as well, that's the work that happens in institutions all over our culture and we push forward with that. I'd love to excuse me. It's my son's 26th birthday and he's trying to call me. Happy birthday! Okay, we have... Yes, no, go for it. You can see better than I can. What's this about? We're just talking about it for a moment. We're moving away then around. We didn't know what she was. I want to centre a quote from Pauline Grant from the 2016 article where she states and says, we're appealing the invisibility of black women who's astound. So how might we best, in contemporary 21st century, understand Marsyn? It's not just the moment that's a metaphor. And that's the whole power. That's a big question. So it was a question about Marsyn and thinking about the photograph and reflecting on the invisibility of her as a black woman and how we can think perhaps not just as an individual but as a metaphor for black women, I think you mean socially and also as cultural producers. It's a big question. You learned a big one there unnecessarily, so I'm going to remind you. I opened my conversation with the name Josephine Melville on purpose. She lived her life loving black theatre and working hard for it. Collecting the theatre posters to make sure that people understood that it was made. You know what happens with theatre? It's made and it's gone. We now are in a place, a digital foundation to be capturing it, but if you weren't at the moment they missed it. So she absolutely celebrated and worked tirelessly to make sure that those stories of every production that has ever made in her lifetime and before that was gathered was part of a series of exhibitions that were made that hopefully will continue to get to her. So the invisibility of that work, we found out more about that when she passed and that's the reality. That's the reality. It's every day that we are invisible and that's why I made sure I was here tonight to say that. Shall we take another question? If any of your thoughts, come back in. For theatre makers in the room, what are the challenges or successes is to think about when trying to revive history through theatre? What kind of the need and loss that you have to recommend to move around when you are telling history? Thank you. That was a really great question. That was one about the contemporary theatre makers. What are the blocks and the challenges of trying to incorporate these histories, these stories? I would say feel it before you think about it before you find out. Because if you go the other way round, what you're doing is you're reviving other people's feelings and other people's thoughts, you need to come to it fresh and then layer around that. It would be my take. I don't know about the other people. Mine was just the language was the challenging. What you didn't see from into home is there is a Chinese character who is referred to in really awful ways. It's how you manoeuvre and what choices you make. I had to be really careful about which scenes I wanted to choose because of that. But also without pretending that it isn't there. For this moment, if I was to use the play, how do you then show that carefully? I think that also speaks to Romy's question. By pretending, I'm going to think about that for a long while Romy. But thinking about that picture, there was a pretence that she wasn't there. There's a balance isn't there. You have to strike between being honest and open about what the tide is but also what that means. I don't have the answer. It's a great question. I think it's always easy to put yourself in. It's always easy to see yourself. That's why we choose. We think we're not. Is this play relevant now, that's why we choose it? We've got a child in the chocolate factory next door for a reason. It's the perfect piece to tell of the crisis. Apparently it was originally supposed to be a black boy. That's an interesting take on it. Who gets to tell the play and why? I think one of the challenges is to not force yourself onto a play because that's what you want to say. What is this play to try to say? That's exactly what you're saying. It's that thing, don't place yourself in something that isn't there and force it. If I'm going to get into the history of the thing that I do, then it's the obvious one, which is look at the context it is making. I always do that anyway. If I'm in a room, I'm always wondering whether all of us were about 100 years ago from me. That's just a question of how we got here in the first place. We go to a room at the same time. Some of us took a bit longer for all sorts of reasons. Maybe I'll tell you one more question. I was going to say something. I was going to say something about looking at historic plays and how to make them relevant today. I think as an actor that can come from choices in performance as well. I was thinking about spandascus, an actress prepares, and how can you put a feminist hate on something that was made or written out of the timeframe of what is seen to be okay now or acceptable now, and how can you stay true to the text but also give female characters references a lot more autonomy to the choices that you make in the way that you play. That's what I was going to say. I think just don't break the claim. No, you can't break it today. It's not fair because you're just writing your own claim. I didn't ask you any of your choices. No, I'm verbal. Do you place it on top anyway? It's there in your eyes. It's just like that. We can do stuff on top of the play, but just don't sing the play. Thank you. I've chosen us 20 years or so to actually engage actively with our high audience. It's been incredibly engaging. The place that I saw this evening was just going to get a little bit better. I was going to get this center. I'm actually going to have this in the other sessions. That's even the distance that we need from it. But seeing in that only in particular is just really, really high up. Because if you recall the man's importance, Roeddon is, as I call it, out of just several people who didn't trust me and he won't vote, that was the opportunity. You know, I mean, that's at least the excitement that we're writing. That's the excitement. And we're, like, without that, right now smoking. So it really is a work in an ancient story. We got very good hearing with Adolf. And he had to become an adult, literacy, into the sense for bands on stage. He was talking very much with us. So everything about what we've seen this evening is basically about race and how women must have actually challenged that to the black part, our own roots, and if you go out to the mountain centre this high up, it's really a shift with this interaction that's really continuing at a time when black people to the United States have to laugh at their own heads and wipe in their eyes when black people are trying to write against them and they're thinking into the stage. And in terms of female actors, so you have either of you, you just talk to a man that I wrote, and you think that you know coached old roles in physical, in the traditional section, there's others in the natural section, and that's what you want for the rich. And it has been a big relation that we've been practicing in this. And I will see it. So thank you all very much. I don't think I can paraphrase, Joe was far too eloquent thinking a bit about the histories of black performance and struggles against men's physique particularly, which I know is something that attracted you to in the homie. Yeah, I did read an article about it and about in the homie being purposefully the way in which it was brought to the UK was to fight against men's physique. So yeah, just agreeing really with what you said. Okay, so are we... Fantastic. Thank you so much. So there's a production of Pokemonia coming in London, which we all need to look out for. So maybe you could talk to this space. Come on. Just saying. Well, thank you so much once again to our panellist and to our performers for a really, really special evening. So thank you so much.