The history of this area has inspired a Spalding actor’s latest show which he’s performing at Ayscoughfee Hall tomorrow (Friday, September 29).
The Arts Council funded Henry VIII Used to Hate Us is described as being ‘like Peaky Blinders but in the Fens’.
It is aimed at 15 to 30-year-olds, though also suitable for older, and Ryan Gilmorton says he wanted to give people of that age the chance to see a play about their surroundings of the kind you would usually see in a city like London.
“It really matters to me to bring opportunities and experiences back home to try and bridge the gap between what young people in cities and places like Spalding can access,” he said. “Why should a young person have less opportunity just because of where they live?”
Ryan himself trained as an actor before also branching out into writing and producing.
His credits include writing and acted in a short film called St Nowhere – which was shot on location on Holbeach Marsh (Shep White’s) and has just been selected by a the Suffolk Shorts Film Festival.
He also recently project managed a NHS funded photography project in Long Sutton – where we used the Co-op as a pop-up gallery.
His day job is working for a project called The Agency which is an award-winning partnership looking to give opportunities to young people.
“In short, all my work is about shifting how people see the people and place they live in,” he said. “I believe when you start seeing where you are as ‘somewhere’, not nowhere, a lot of good can start happening.”
That led to Henry VIII Used to Hate Us which has two shows at Ayscoughfee at 5.30pm and 8pm.
“When I went up north for drama school I was struck by the amount of people I met who were proud of where they were from,” Ryan continued. “They had a glint in their eyes as they shared the different words they had for bread rolls.
“But when the question turned to me I had nothing to say. Perhaps I muttered something about Lincolnshire sausages. I was from Spalding, Lincolnshire. I was from nowhere, wasn’t I?
“So I went on a deep dive of local history and discovered we used to have a real unique identity – we were cut off from the UK by our landscape, walked on stilts, ate eels and had this proud independent streak.
“Some of the stories that inspired me are in the show – I really want to create an immersive experience for young people to go “forget what you know or have heard about this place – this is who we really are.”
The show is 90 minutes long and attendees can decide how much to pay.
This project is supported using public funding from Arts Council England and by the UK Government through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
The UK Shared Prosperity Fund is a central pillar of the UK government’s Levelling Up agenda and provides £2.6 billion of funding for local investment by March 2025.
The fund aims to improve pride in place and increase life chances across the UK investing in communities and place, supporting local business and people and skills.
For more information, visit www.gov.uk/government/publications/uk-shared-prosperity-fund- prospectus.
