Common Ground from Mikron Theatre Company at Wetherby Whaler, Guiseley.

This has to be one of my favourite events of the year, not only do I love the way in which Mikron reaches out to the people who, by choice or circumstance, would never go anywhere near a theatre, but also it is performed in a fish and chip restaurant, so win/win.

Mikron tours the country throughout the spring, summer and autumn in their narrowboat, based in Marsden near Huddersfield, and perform in venues on their voyage. They also utilise a van to reach parts not served by a canal, as is the case with Guiseley where the jalopy was pressed into service. This means that the company is one of the most environmentally considerate touring groups in the country. The cast live on the boat whilst away from its home ‘port’ where they stay in digs or at home, should they be fortunate enough to reside in the Marsden area.

Left to right: Lauren Robinson, Eddie Ahrens, Mark Emmons and Georgina Liley.

It is all very worthy, as are their commitments to be inclusive in their choice of actors, creatives and venues, but you don’t survive in a venture like this on ethics alone. If the shows are pants then no one will come, even though some of them are priced on a pay-as-you-feel basis where a collection is taken at the end of the performance. This enables the audience to donate sums far in excess of what would normally be charged, as I am sure many of them do! It also means that the venues can include those where it is not possible to set up a controlled entry system, such as allotments, playing fields, parks, car parks and this wonderful chippy where we were tonight.

The company comprises four actor/musicians, all of whom are highly skilled in both disciplines, adding more than a touch of humour as well. Not difficult when playing the accordion whilst pretending to be a sheep.

Left to right: Eddie Ahrens, Lauren Robinson, Georgina Liley and Mark Emmons. By the way, they were not playing the Whitney Houston No.1, I Will Always Love Ewe, nor George Formby’s Leaning On A Signpost.

The modus operandi of the company is to choose a subject and then tell its story through drama, comedy and song. These have ranged from tales about bee-keeping, the Women’s Institute, the NHS, RNLI, and the WRENS through to Butlins Redcoats and, appropriately enough, Fish and Chips. They do two productions per year, the other for 2024 being about the politician Jennie Lee, a review of which you can read by scrolling through this very site.

Common Ground is the story of Rambling – no, not the kind I do – and Rights of Way. I have previously referred to their shows as a sort of Horrible Histories, but without the lavish budget. The sets are sparse and compact, as they need to be, their being transported in the confined spaces of the boat and van. The timescale ran from Saxon times to the present day, even including a reenactment of the Battle of Hastings, worth keeping an eye out for. The main baseline was the 1750s when the Enclosures Act allowed landowners to fence off common land to increase agricultural output. This would have been a reasonable thing to do except that large areas of the countryside were then closed to the public altogether without the ability to cross them by means of the ancient footpaths.

The play opens with volunteers, played by Eddie Ahrens and Mark Emmons removing various items of detritus from a footpath on the moors to keep it walkable. They are joined by an influencer, Lauren Robinson, in full Estuary accent, who is making a TikTok posting for her followers with the help of her assistant, whose name I believe might have been Mary – you need to see the play to get that joke – played by Georgina Liley.

The players take on multiple roles and are truly excellent. Their interpretation of the script, by Poppy Hollman, was impeccable, especially in the running gag which points out the historical inaccuracies of some of the references.

The songs, by Dan McGlade, were in the style of the historical period and environment in which they were set, the emphasis here naturally being on folk ditties. The Musical Director and Arranger was Rebekah Hughes. The Set and Costumes were designed by Celia Perkins who was very inventive, it must be a challenge to cover a few centuries of history with as little equipment as possible. There was one piece of kit which I can honestly say I have never seen in a play before, but fortunately was small enough to fit into a small clutch bag.

The Director, Gitika Buttoo, made sure that the story bounded along wonderfully.

The whole evening was an absolute delight and another illustration of how the very basic, and oldest, form of theatre with travelling players touring small villages and performing wherever their horse and cart pulled up, can still be effective in the days of streaming and entertainment on demand from all over the world.

If you get a chance, I would urge you to go along for a fun and informative experience. It will lift your spirits and get you thinking. Should you be fortunate enough to see it in a fish and chip restaurant it will also get you a seat to yourself on the bus home – should you order enough mushy peas.

For tour dates for both Common Ground and Jennie Lee, please go to https://mikron.org.uk/tour-dates/ and for more about Mikron it is https://mikron.org.uk/

For all things Wetherby Whaler go to https://www.wetherbywhaler.co.uk/

Photographs by Stan Graham. Feature image provided by Mikron