Theatre of War
Over the last few weeks I’ve been ramping up our research on the First World War and historical pageants. Mark will be giving a talk on this theme at the Institute of Historical Research on the 4th December 2014, and I’ll be doing the same 4000 miles away on the same day at the University of Madison (Wisconsin)! Pageants in the interwar period have not really received much attention – most historians have seen the movement as being at its peak in the Edwardian years. Our research is really beginning to question this conclusion; in the early 1930s especially there were lots of really big pageants at places like Leicester, Nottingham, Bradford, and Stoke-on-Trent. Because there has not been much work done on interwar pageants, one really quite extraordinary feature has been missed. From 1919-1939, many pageants featured re-enactments of the First World War. Prior to 1914 it had been common for historical pageants to end their narratives way before the present day, often as early as the seventeenth century. When peace day was declared in 1919, however, there were whole pageants that re-enacted just First World War events (called Peace Pageants). These events, many of which were organised to support veteran charities, drew upon a collective memory of wartime deeds of sacrifice and heroism. That people in Britain sought to remember and honour the war dead by re-enacting scenes of carnage, can tell us a lot about just how cemented in British culture the historical pageant was at this time.
Because my background is in history rather than literature or theatre, I thought it might be useful to expand my theoretical armoury for pageantry. A couple of weeks ago I attended an First World War Theatre workshop at the University of Hertfordshire (as part of a series of events around Everyday Lives in War organised by the First World War Centre). Literature specialists, novelists, playwrights, and theatre producers, as well as a couple of historians for good measure, all came together to analyse a play. John Brandon's The Pacifist (1918) was put on in London during the war. It focused on the treachery of a spy (who, it was suggested, was of German descent) during the conflict, and his aiding and abetting the German army in bombing the East London Docks and area. The spy was thwarted by his betrothed, a patriotic and brave nurse. Going through the text we picked out the key themes – from gender to patriotism – as well as the particular aspects of its staging. Drawing on the knowledge of the theatre experts in the room, we then talked about how the play could be staged in the present day. As one person pointed out, it had all the makings of an episode of Spooks!
As well as analysing The Pacifist, there was a chance for people in the room to talk about their own World War One plays and projects. I was struck by how ‘pageant-like’ a lot of these were. Organised mainly by volunteers in small towns or villages, they focused on local history and mobilised the community. Seeing it Through, directed by Richard Syms and taking place at the Hertford Theatre on the 15th November, told the story of the home front in Hertford and Ware through the words of the people who lived through it. At Welwyn Garden City, earlier this year, the well-known Accrington Pals was performed at the Barn Theatre. This heart-breaking story relives the sacrifice of the men who joined up together in response to Lord Kitchener’s call, and showed the effect of their deaths on the women who were left behind. Perhaps the most pageant-like of the plays was Little Hadham Goes to War. The organiser and author, Maggie Smith, described the play as ‘revue’, due to its use of a combination of theatre, music, and dance. Yet it could also clearly be seen as a descendant of the historical pageant. It took place across several episodes, involved local performers, concentrated on distinctive historical episodes (though in the shorter time period of the First World War), and drew on local memory and culture.
All engaged with the effects of the First World War on local communities, and shared much in common with the initial First World War pageants that took place in the 1920s. As we continue to prepare our talks, specifically looking at the First World War in pageants, these newer performances will be at the front of our minds.
For a clip of a Peace Pageant, see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x_cjrXwO0oM