Capacity audiences have flocked to a series of outdoor professional theatre shows in Burnham over the last week inspired by the story of Berrow’s shipwreck.
The final performance was held on Sunday evening of ‘All Hands!’, an outdoor show based on the story of The Nornen 19th century shipwreck.
“The response has exceeded expectations and the feedback from audiences has been phenomenal,” Producer Corrinne Curtis told Burnham-On-Sea.com.
The show was the first to be held in Burnham’s Marine Cove gardens and Corrinne says further shows may be held there in the future given the positive feedback.
“We were sold out at every show except for Saturday afternoon’s performance which had to be cancelled due to the poor weather.”
Asked whether further shows could return to Marine Cove in the future, she said: “There is apparently demand for it and the location here is superb. We will have to see when I recover after this one!”
The shows – which featured professional actors alongside local community people and the Unroyal Choir – were also being professionally filmed on Sunday.
A civic reception was held in Berrow on Saturday evening (August 5th) to mark the performance with the Mayor, a group of visitors from Norway and other local dignitaries.
The shows told the story of the Norwegian sailing vessel, which got caught in the lee of the Lundy Roads as a howling south westerly gale swept up the Bristol Channel in 1897. When 10 men and a dog were caught in the eye of the storm, the community saved the day.
Burnham historian John Strickland has compiled a booklet featuring the story of the shipwreck which is available for £2 at Burnham tourist information centre with funds raised going to the RNLI and BARB.
‘All Hands!’ was made possible with support from Burnham-On-Sea’s Princess Theatre as well as Arts Council England, The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Burnham-On-Sea and Highbridge Town Council, Hinkley Point C Community Fund, Somerset Community Foundation and Sedgemoor District Council.
