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“Who’s giving these bastards the right to do this to me?... The only time working people have control over their own destiny is when they’re in struggle”… Alan Sutcliffe, 1984
42 years on from the Miners’ Strike of 1984/85, People Will Always Need Coal? is a one-hour, one-man piece of theatre, designed to tour non-traditional spaces. The performance examines the narrative of the 1984/85 Miners' Strike, the decline of the mining industry and the effects within mining communities, focusing on the life of Alan Sutcliffe, who was a striking miner as well as poet and vocalist with the band Test Dept.. The piece utilises oral histories and archival video, and centres the voice of miners and mining communities at the heart of the narrative…
"The performance shared an important part of the social history of the miners' strike as experienced by Alan. The range of techniques used... enhanced the experience for the audience in order to tell this important story. An amazing production!"
"Great performance!!! 5 Stars A++”
"Layers on layers. I think that's what made the play so interesting... All these things beneath the surface."
"Very powerful piece, I think it was extremely thought-provoking and emotional."
People Will Always Need Coal? is specifically designed to tour to significant ex-coalfield communities that experienced the industrial decline of the end of the UK mining industry. Recognising that most mining communities do not have access to theatre spaces or facilities for staging theatre, the piece is designed to be staged in a way that means it can be accommodated into as many spaces, for as little cost as possible. If you think your organisation may be interested in hosting a performance, click the link below to download the tour pack which contains all the information you should need, and get in touch.
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