Friday night’s production of the National Youth Theatre’s Ghost Office in Brierley Hill had to be split into two performances following an audience turn out in excess 200.
Fifty local youngsters and national members of the National Youth Theatre worked together to create the play which was performed in an empty suite of offices at Brierley Hill’s Waterfront. And for the second year running the young people worked together with members of Age Concern to bridge the generations and build understanding of each other’s perspectives of the area.
Tackling themes from national economic policy such as the Enterprise Zones, through the personal devastation of losing a job, to the politics at the time when Round Oak closed the cast and the creative support team produced an engaging an exciting and thought provoking piece of work of the highest standards.
The play told the story of employment in the area – starting with the new jobs being created in Brierley Hill and working backwards to the 19th century establishment of Round Oak Steelworks – through ghost workers retelling their tales, a reconstruction of events in parliament when Round Oak was closing, to the use of lighting and synchronised movement to create the feel of molten steel and the pulsating, driving power of industrial machinery.
Ghost Office was another excellent production by the National Youth Theatre, building on previous work in Brierley Hill. As one blogger on this site commented:
“Visited waterfront offices to see ghost office absolutely brilliant performance by all concerned well done very enjoyable experience thank you.”