Matters of Chance

The East Grinstead Community Play, 2010
Performed at Sackville School, East Grinstead
29 November – 11 December 2010

As war is declared, outsiders start arriving in town, among them are evacuees, new nurses for the hospital, a celebrated plastic surgeon and a suspicious-looking stranger. A few months later, horifically burned Battle of Britain pilots begin to appear.

Then the morning of Friday 9th July 1943 dawns and people start making small decisions that determine where they will at 17 minutes past 5 – a moment in time that changes the town forever.

Be swept along by unstoppable events, as the action swirls around you in this thrilling promenade play. Directed by Claque with a cast of over 80 local people, this production is full of remarkable images, film and evocative music. This is a unique opportunity to share with the people of East Grinstead a very personal story.

Tender, poignant, funny and frightening by turns, Matters of Chance tells how one small town “with great acts of courage, and small acts of kindness” pulled together in the face of tragedy – and survived. The choice of a promenade performance allows Claque to use the whole of the performance space to turn the spotlight on the different families and events which were to become entwined so tragically in the bombing of the Whitehall theatre.

Find more images in the gallery on Flickr here

“I was so pleased to hear that you had created a play round the MacIndoe burns boys. I used to visit them a lot during the War and infact still go to their reunions,although there are obviously not many of ‘the boys’ left now. The hospital did, and still continues to do, the most wonderful work. Please pass on my good wishes to all concerned.”

Dame Vera Lynn

“It made me really proud of East Grinstead and I was really impressed by the props, the story, the costumes, and acting.”

Audience Member, Matters of Chance