A Historical Pageant, the People's Theatre and the North East

This chapter examines two major contributors to the reception and performance of classical material in the first half of the twentieth century through case studies of the Historical Pageant of Newcastle and the North and the People’s Theatre. In 1931, Leazes Park hosted the historical pageant where over 120,000 spectators witnessed 6,000 amateur actors perform across 7 days. The opening episode staged the origin of Hadrian’s Wall as the Sixth Legion rescued Amelduna, Queen of the Ottadeni, from the Picts. On the banks of the Tyne, Hadrian calls upon Aulos Platorious Nepos to build a wall ‘from sea to sea’ where the ‘Roman Empire shall have its bound.’ The mass enfranchisement of local people to contribute to the performance is investigated alongside the complex role of the organising body. Focus then shifts to the People’s Theatre. Born out of the Clarion movement, The People’s produced various Greek plays including Iphigenia in Tauris in 1932 and Euripides’ Electra and Trojan Women in November 1933. The playwright J.B. Priestley attended a rehearsal for the latter in a pub under the High Bridge, and his account features prominently. Classical material in the North East has had a considerable pull across ideological divides for over a century.