Details

In 1865 the swelling of the new railways pushed out the dead from their graves in St Pancras Churchyard. Thomas Hardy, still bound to his day job as an architectural clerk, is charged with exhuming the bodies. Different values collide, the living mingles with the dead, and redemption emerges from inspiration. One hundred and forty years on and a gnarled ash tree now grows from the stack of headstones Thomas moved in the ancient graveyard, the oldest site of ritual in England. For many centuries lovers, poets and parishioners, mourners, artists, dog walkers and the like were using this space for relaxation, reflection, inspiration and renewal. With the regeneration of the St Pancras area in advance of the Eurostar Tunnel completion, OtC wishes to capture and bring to life some local history as well as making people aware of a rare space in the heart of London. With inter-woven stories told by residents of the diverse local communities, OtC will celebrate the many unique experiences that people have had throughout the ages in Kings Cross. This experiment will explore the myth of The Hardy Tree and Thomas Hardy's unsettling journey - how this might have impacted on him as a young man fresh from Dorset and how this experience influenced his art. Snippets, montage, tableaux, song, verse and other forms of performance will be sprinkled throughout the piece. Scratch performance. Not just St Pancras Gardens but also about their times or memories in and around Camden, St Pancras, King's Cross and West Euston areas. OtC may perform some of the stories, ask the individuals to recount their stories to an audience, or just record these unique tales for history; this will then become the focus of The Hardy Tree Experience.

Creatives/Company

Company: Off the Cuff Theatre Company