Theatre Review

By Francesca Evans

The record-breaking production of 'Spinning the Moon' comes to the end of its run in Dorchester this weekend – and with more than 130 local people of all ages and backgrounds taking part, a 'community play' it certainly is.

The format for community plays was created by Lyme Regis playwright and director Ann Jellicoe in the late 1970s, with the first in Dorchester – 'Entertaining Strangers' – staged St Mary's Church in 1985 and going on to be performed at the National Theatre. 

Although Ann went on to write and direct in many towns and villages across the South West, Dorchester became her most enduring legacy. 

The bewitching 'Spinning the Moon' – performed over the past two weeks at the Thomas Hardye School – has broken records as Dorchester's seventh community play, with no other town achieving this many. It was the first without Ann in the audience, as she died in 2017 at the age of 90.

Using historic documents and a broad sweep of what was happening in Dorset and southern England in the aftermath of the Wars of the Roses, 'Spinning the Moon' is a dramatic fiction set over a seven-month period in the early 16th century.

Based at real locations in and around Dorchester – including Wolfeton House, Fordington Church, Abbotsbury Monestary – the story follows the Trenchard family as they try to stop their home and the people who work their land from spinning towards economic collapse. 

But their drastic action leaves the community of Dorchester fractured, suspicious and at the point of violent disintegration, culminating in the persecution of servant girl Emma Gawler for witchcraft. 

Written by Stephanie Dale and directed by Peter Leslie Wild, this latest offering from Dorchester Community Plays Association (DCPA) has been years in the making, with preparations brought to a sudden halt at the outbreak of Covid-19 in 2020, just weeks before the scheduled performances.

Was it worth the wait? Without hesitation I would argue it was – the historic tale of a community struggling with its common difficulties, and eventually pulling together, seemed all the more pertinent having made it through the challenges of the past three years. It was a real moment to celebrate.

No doubt, if DCPA had gone ahead with performances amid Covid restrictions, the play would not have had the same captivating end result. Performed as 'promenade theatre', with the audience, cast and musicians standing and moving around the venue together, it created an all-encompassing experience.

You really did feel part of the story – part of a community.

Dorchester has a proud tradition of community plays, and 'Spinning the Moon' will rightly be added to that legacy.

The final few performances of 'Spinning the Moon' will be held at the Thomas Hardye School tonight (Thursday), Friday, April 14 and Saturday, April 15, nightly at 7.30pm with tickets costing £16 or £10 for under 16s. Please note this is a standing event, although limited number of seats can be arranged. 

To book visit https://www.dorchesterarts.org.uk/