The Museum

Journey with us behind the scenes as we explore the creation of A Spyglass Through Time and take a look at the many creatives that came together to put on this event.

Portrait photograph of The Holy Trinity Church from a distance. Very overcast day with a residential street in the foreground.

Detailed Coat of Arms on the balcony of The Holy Trinity Church. A lion on the left, and another animal on the right. This animal is black, with white wings, and red talons. They are both holding a crest. Underneath are the latin words, "Vis Unita Fo

Detailed Coat of Arms on the balcony at The Holy Trinity Church. Very colourful, with reds, light blues, yellows, and pinks.

Cross stitch of one of the coat of arms displayed at The Holy Trinity Church. Left hand side is a red background with two crossing swords. On the right is a yellow background with three deer.

Work in progress cross stitch of a QR code linking to the website, being held up.

Work in progress cross stitch of the words, "Spyglass Through Time". Work is being completed on a light brown table with the stiching pattern on a piece of paper above.

Smiling older woman holding up a cross stich pattern for the entrance feature of The Holy Trinity Church.

Close up photograph of a woman's hands inspecting the cross stitch pattern for the main feature at the entranceway of The Holy Trinity Church.

Two community members sitting around a table engaging in a talk being presented by a man. To the right of the man is a TV showing the poster for the project, "A Spyglass Through Time".

Six people of different ages sitting around a big wooden table, whilst a man is standing up. Some are writing on paper, two are using laptops, and the man is looking at a TV. The TV is showing the script for the project, "A Spyglass Through Time".

Vertical photograph of the interior of The Holy Trinity Church. In the foreground, there is a man holding a video camera. He is recording two people on the balcony.

Horizontal photograph of a group of people, around twenty, standing in the vestry of The Holy Trinity Church. They are all engaged in rehearsals for the project, "A Spyglass Through Time".

Vertical photograph from outside The Holy Trinity Church. In the background, if the side of the church. In the foreground, is a gravestone for Jack Crawford. The gravestone is on a big field of grass connecting to the church.

Close vertical photograph of the grave of Jack Crawford. It's a tall red-ish gravestone that has a stone carved flag strung across the top.

A small piece of yellow stained glass window being held up by a hand. In the background is the top floor window of The Holy Trinity Church.

Vertical photograph of the entrance way to The Holy Trinity Church. Facing the front glass door with the sun shining through.

Vertical photograph of a piece of paper on a scrapbook showing simple drawings of a possible scene for the project, "A Spyglass Through Time".

Close-up vertical photograph of a drawing on a piece of paper. The drawing shows a stick figure holding up a flag of England. Undeneath is the written word, "Jack".

Vertical photograph of six scripts on a wooden table. The scripts have on the front, "A Spyglass Through Time. Working script".

With the announcement of a brand new project for 17Nineteen, Theatre Space North East officially unveiled A Spyglass Through Time on the 24th May 2024. This would be a project driven by the local community, expertly guided by north east industry professionals, and involve unearthing local stories, and taking an idea from the research/concept stage, through writing, design, rehearsal and all the way through to a spectacular production to be staged at the venue in October 2024!!

Horizontal poster for the project, "A Spyglass Through Time". Shows a hand holding up a round lense. Inside the lense is an old drawing of The Holy Trinity Church. In pink writing over the top of everything is, "A Spyglass Through Time".

The first promotional video invited the community to get involved, sharing the vision and encouraging local participation. It highlighted the power of collaboration and set the tone for a creative journey.

Weekly sessions began on Wednesday, 19th June 2024, at the church and ran for 12 weeks. Participants brought the show to life through brainstorming, rehearsals, and hands-on activities. By the end, they had created something meaningful while building a strong sense of community.

The purpose of the sessions was to create a space to share stories, old and new, about the local community. This would be where the stories of William Elliott, Robert Gray, and Jack Crawford were developed and recreated into the scenes that were performed at the church.

After the research and script development for the show was complete, PHASE 2 of the project was started. These rehearsals began on Wednesday 11th September 2024, and continued every week until they approached the performance dates.

With rehearsals in full swing, the official trailer dropped on 14th October 2024, sparking excitement and giving a sneak peek at the hard work behind the scenes.

The performances ran at the church from 24th to 27th October 2024, bringing the project to life. The audience was swept up in the energy and creativity, leaving a lasting impression on everyone involved.

Download Full Script

Full Credits:

Performers

Dan Howe

Olivia McPheators

Helen Wardropper

Olivia Shaw

Muriel McGrath

Nancy itsemhe khalil Aigbondio

Anna Oakes

Stephen Dodds

Lucy Wall

Ian Andrews

Sue Kerton

Chukwudi Ajoku

Barry Thomas

Jessica Mienie

Project Team

Posy Jowett

Corinne Kilvington

Andy Neale

Sarah Simpson

Jamie Brown

Website & Videography

Sam Elliott

Co-Creators

Chloe Meadows

Anna Snell

JJ Hylton

Jan Miller

Olivia McPheators

Rachael Oliver

Molly Wyatt

Anna Oakes

Laura Fearne

Anne Loadman

Christine Brace

Ian Andrews

Jessica Mienie

Special Thanks

Jay Sykes

Funders & Partners

Seventeen Nineteen

Theatre Space North East

National Lottery Heritage Fund

Churches Conservation Trust

Benefact Trust

Sunderland City Council

Production

Jim McGrath

Emma Baker

Michelle Wall

Molly Wyatt

Chloe Meadows

JJ Hylton

Jan Miller

Rachael Oliver

Anne Loadman

Christine Brace

Cross-stitchers

Corinne Kilvington

Sandra Naglis

Anne Moore

Karen Neil

Sue Kerton

Ruth Hardy

Wendy Errington

Tracey Mienie

Claire Dunn

Laura Eden

Maggi Bulbeck

Full Credits:

Performers

Dan Howe

Olivia McPheators

Helen Wardropper

Olivia Shaw

Muriel McGrath

Nancy itsemhe khalil Aigbondio

Anna Oakes

Stephen Dodds

Lucy Wall

Ian Andrews

Sue Kerton

Chukwudi Ajoku

Barry Thomas

Jessica Mienie

Co-Creators

Chloe Meadows

Anna Snell

JJ Hylton

Jan Miller

Olivia McPheators

Rachael Oliver

Molly Wyatt

Anna Oakes

Laura Fearne

Anne Loadman

Christine Brace

Ian Andrews

Jessica Mienie

Production

Jim McGrath

Emma Baker

Michelle Wall

Molly Wyatt

Chloe Meadows

JJ Hylton

Jan Miller

Rachael Oliver

Anne Loadman

Christine Brace

Cross-stitchers

Corinne Kilvington

Sandra Naglis

Anne Moore

Karen Neil

Sue Kerton

Ruth Hardy

Wendy Errington

Tracey Mienie

Claire Dunn

Laura Eden

Maggi Bulbeck

Project Team

Posy Jowett

Corinne Kilvington

Andy Neale

Sarah Simpson

Jamie Brown