Boudicca

We were starting to work on the Event 2 when Duncan told me he was writing a play about Boadicea, or Boudicca as he called her.
One drunken chat in the pub later and a scheme to get the Arts Council to fund a tour was hatched.
The next day (total co-incidence) Norwich City Council sent me details of the Lottery sceme 'Arts For Everyone', or A4E. We got hold of an application form, and spent another drunken hour filling it out.
The fact that we had committed the company to doing a battle re-enactment, building a replica Iceni chariot, costuming enough people to populate a small village, doing drama/history workshops for school kids as well as putting on a large scale play and touring it, all for the tiny sum of £5,000 didn't unduly worry us as we thought we had no chance of getting a grant anyway.
One fateful day, just after the Event 2 had finished, the dread news arrived - we had been awarded the grant. Now was the time to panic.
Carpenter Jo Thompson was commisioned to build the chariot, and my re-enactment contacts were pressed into service to find some Romans.
First stop was Norwich's Lord Mayor's Procession on Saturday 12th July - a battle between Romans and Iceni, followed by Boudicca's horse drawn chariot and her Iceni tribes-people leading the parade through the packed streets of Norwich.
Steve Smith and his group The Swords Of Pendragon provided our Romans and a few ancient Brit's, and the chariot was completed on time with the help of Qarky, Norfolk Cabinet Makers and basket weaver Pete Dibble.
The only let down was the absence of horses. No-one could supply small enough pony's which would take a harness and be calm enough in the crowds, so we pulled it with slaves (ie. US). It turned out to be a great day, and generated huge publicity for us. Next stop was the play.

Saff Edye as Boudicca

Boudicca Rides Again

In the first century AD Boudicca (Boadicea), queen of Norfolk's Iceni tribe, led a revolt against Roman rule which destroyed Colchester (Camulodunum), London (Londinium) and St Albans (Verulamium) before defeat at the hands of the Roman legions.Boudicca Rides Again.
Next week (Sept 9 -13) popular Norwich theatre company, Crude Apache, premiere their new production, "Boudicca", a vivid retelling of the story of East Anglia's flame-haired warrior queen.
"Boudicca", a new play by Duncan Rowe, is a tale of love and passion, freedom-fighting, friendship and betrayal under the yoke of the Roman occupation.
Following its Norwich performances, at St Gregory's Arts Centre, the play will tour to Colchester and St Albans, retracing the route of the Iceni revolt.
The production, tour and associated events have been made possible following the company's receipt of a National Lottery "Arts For Everyone" grant.
Crude Apache have achieved great popular and critical success in Norfolk since their first production of Shakespeare's Macbeth in Norwich Castle in 1994. Aiming to make theatre accessible to a wider audience they have performed in parks and pubs, schools, arts and community centres, producing a range of entertainment from Shakespeare and the classics to self-penned comedies, musical shows and pub pantomimes, often with a local or historical theme.
Said "Boudicca" producer, Jo Edye, "As a company with a limited budget we have previously been confined to performing in Norfolk. But earlier this year we were awarded a National Lottery " Arts for Everyone" grant which enables us to re-trace the route of Boudicca's revolt and take the play to Colchester and St.Albans."
The grant had also enabled the company to build a replica of Boudicca's chariot which appeared in Norwich's Lord Mayor's Procession and to stage a Romans versus Iceni battle re-enactment in Chapelfield Gardens, a Norwich park, said Mr. Edye.
It also meant that Crude Apache could help bring history to life by holding educational workshops for school children in conjunction with the play's performances in Norwich, Colchester and St Albans, he added.
The author of "Boudicca", Duncan Rowe, 29, lives in Norwich where he is manager of the city's Ticket Shop, supplying tickets and information for a wide range of popular entertainment in the region. A graduate in history from the University of East Anglia he worked on two series of BBC television's "The History Man".
He has acted with Crude Apache and other Norwich theatre companies and this is his first play. "Crude Apache has a tradition of writing plays about local history and I wanted to combine my love of theatre and my love of history," said Mr. Rowe.
"Boudicca is a very famous character but not a lot is known about her. What little is known was written by the Romans, her enemies," he said.
"To me Boudicca is very much a symbol of the last death-throes of Celtic Britain. The people had strong environmental concerns and women were more free than at any time until the present day. As we approach the new Millenium and a New Age more and more people are looking back towards their Celtic roots in search of their identity in a time of great changes."
"Boudicca" is directed by Amanda Leeds who has previously directed "The Lion in Winter" for Crude Apache and acted with the company.
The title role is taken by Saff Edye who appeared as Queen Eleanor of Aquitaine in "The Lion in Winter " and also features Lady Macbeth among her Crude Apache credits.
Saff faces a long session in the hairdresser's chair on September 8th when the city's Transformer Haircutters will transform her short brown hair into the long flame-red locks that were a distinctive feature of Boudicca's appearance.
The Iceni revolt of AD60/61 (historians are unsure about the exact date) began following the death of Boudicca's husband , Prasutagus, the king of the Iceni who had ruled under Roman suzerainty . Boudicca was flogged and her daughters raped by the Romans who plundered the tribe's wealth.
The revolt destroyed Colchester, London and St Albans , killing thousands and leaving the Roman towns in smoking ruins before it was finally put down by a Roman army under the leadership of governor, Suetonius Paulinus. The Romans exacted a harsh revenge and Boudicca is believed to have taken poison.

Said the rather wordy press release. (thanks Tom)

Duncan wrote some background history notes for the programme:

For such a famous historical figure very little is known about Boudicca. Much of what we know is written by two Roman historians; Tacitus and Dio. Their allegiance to the Roman Empire has to colour our view of their writing. The Celts themselves didn't keep written records and instead passed on their wisdom, intellect and history through the oral tradition. The mystical Druids were certainly keepers of this knowledge but their learning was eradicated by their enemies, the Romans and then later the Christian church. Archaeologically we can date and prove the rebellion because of the blackened brick and stone that remains in the strata of Colchester, London and St. Albans. This proves that all three cities suffered intense burning at roughly the same time.

Factually the two areas of most uncertainty are the location of the final battle between the Celtic forces and Boudicca's army and the fate of Boudicca herself. On the latter, no-one really knows. Tacitus believed that having been defeated she poisoned herself and her daughters. Dio believed that she died of the wounds she received in the battle. Many other theories abound. As her historical fate is unknown, I saw no reason to change that in the play and have left it deliberately ambiguous.

The absence of definite facts about Boudicca offers the writer plenty of artistic scope. I have endeavoured to stay loyal to what we do know. Of the characters in the play, Seutonius Paulinus and Agricola both existed. The former was rewarded with a triumph through Rome for subduing the rebellion while the latter eventually became Governor of Britannia. Prasutugas is recorded in history as is his disfigurement. Decianus and his role in punishing the Iceni is also faithfully taken from Tacitus' history. Favonius, Priscilla and Marcus are all fictitious but characters like them must have existed since the Romans would have kept a garrison in Icenia. It is in the representation of Boudicca's daughters that I must admit to a deliberate contradiction of the recorded history. For staging reasons we have given Boudicca and her husband just one daughter rather than the recorded two.

The cast were:

Gladys: Lydia R.B. Aldrin
Marcus: Benji Brown
Paulinus: Jon Creek
Eurgain: Lindsey Day
Brigid: Nicki Dixon
Boudicca: Saff Edye
The Bard: Jerry Ferley
Decianus: Simon Floyd
Sine: Amanda Greenway
Madoc: Dave Guttridge
Favonius: Simon Kettley
Priscilla: Fiona Mitchell
Caitlin: Sarah Montagu
Prasutagus: Dave Popkin
Dommell: Qarky
Agricola: Russell L. Turner
Martius: Nick Warburton

Director: Amanda Leeds
Writer: Duncan Rowe
Producer: Jo Edye
Stage management & lighting: Rupert Reddington, Chris Bond, Neil Dabson & Nicky Turner
Costumes: Amanda Greenway with Julie Curl, Tamsin Young & Saff Edye
Make up: Kathy Floyd
Armour: Tim Wilson
Publicity: Tom Carver
Photography: Mike Askew, Bryan McNerney & Robert Eke
Boudicca's hair by: John Thaxton-Key, Paul Harvey & Carla McCarthy at Transformer
Boudicca's chariot built by: Jo Thompson

Richard Miller, Mandy & David at Arthur Brett & Sons Ltd., Global Van Hire, Steve Smith & the Swords of Pendragon, Mark Holden, Magpie Printers, Harry Harrold, Nicki Falgate, Transformer Haircutters, Bridget O'Brien, Jon Eagle, Nick John at the Billy Bluelight, Roy Blower, Harveys Game Dealers, Anglia Marquees, Viking Lighting, Norwich Screen Art, Brian Adams, Helen Selleck, Pam Reekie, Russell J. Turner, Rachel Hardy, Jo Barnard, Naomi & all at Inanna's Festival.

Amanda wrote in her notes:

What you are going to see tonight is a play. It is not a history lesson, or a film or TV documentary. Neither is it the definitive version of the story of the Iceni's fateful rebellion.
The story of Boudicca contains rape, murder and the desperate heat of battle. It contains love, friendship, heroism and self sacrifice.
What you will see tonight is a story told.
It is, above all, theatre
On a round stage, with some lighting and some actors, we offer you a version of the story of Boudicca, warrior queen.

And Duncan:

Why write the play? There are a number of reasons. To start with there is no definitive play about Boudicca despite her being among the best known characters in history and her rebellion of 60AD being a cracking story. Combine this with the Crude Apache tradition of writing plays about local historical figures and my own love and academic study of history and you can see where the idea grew from.
The major influences on the writing of the play itself were historically, the Roman historians Tacitus and Dio and emotionally a fabulous historical novel called ÒThe Eagle and the RavenÓ by Pauline Gedge. The play has also under-gone substantial revision during the rehearsal process and so recognition must be given to Amanda, the Director, and the whole cast for their improvements.
There are also deeper reasons for writing that I feel compelled to mention.
Similarities exist between the time of Boudicca and our own age which give the story a greater relevance. Both then and now were times of huge sweeping uncontrollable change. In Boudicca's case her failed attempt to oust the Romans from Britain was a catalyst for the end of Celtic society. In simplistic terms the Romans brought with them a patriarchal society run by structure, reason and intellect to replace the more matriarchal, natural and instinctive society of the Celts.
Now, in our own time, the society that the Romans ushered in is being gradually eroded to be replaced by something only future generations will comprehend. Echoes from Celtic society that resound in environmental concerns, new holistic approaches to medicine, the lessening of the relevance of the established Christian church and the gradual equality of the sexes are mixing with the new influences of computer technology and space exploration.
Whether it's the new millennium or the dawning of the Age of Aquarius that draws your interest we are all aware of considerable change and with that change comes confusion and fear. It is in such moments that history becomes our comfort blanket, what we survived in the past we can overcome in the future. That is why every generation re-tells its history whether through the written word of the last two thousand years or the oral tradition that preceded it. The questions of today have their answers in the past. It is through the re-telling of our history that we can understand our present.
The story of Boudicca was passed to me and I in turn pass it on to you. This was my version. What will yours be?

Boudicca as a prototype Joan of Arc with lungs the size of hot-air balloons(?)

It's very hard to judge a production like this, (but don't worry, our long-haired friend is dead hot on judging) because it wants to be all things to all people and consequently seems to be nothing much at all.
The play tries to piece together bits of classical history into a credible narrative (it has no need to piece together anything, the play is very obviously a chronological narrative of the story of Boudicca's rebellion) whilst introducing elements of physical and symbolic theatre (what is "symbolic theatre"?. Is it possible to stage 2 major battles and the destruction of 3 cities without using symbolism?). There's also a heavy handed philosophical strand, which inextricably tangles itself up before the end of the first half. (this strand is the discourse on the difference between primitive / mystic and organised / law abiding societies, and reaches it's logical conclusion at the end of the play with the Roman victory)
Dionysus versus Apollos is fine, but when you start trying to explain the concept of primal unity in terms of political revolt(????, we think he must have been watching a different play) you can get into deep water. Writer Duncan Rowe ends up somewhere in the Marianas Trench.(Meeeow!)
To start with, a tall long haired man dressed in mystic sackings and pyjama bottoms,(oh come on) walks onto the stage with a coin. He insists that members of the audience call the odds. Heads or tails? He talks about destiny and fate, identity and allegiance.
This is thrown out of the window fairly quickly,(it continues throughout) and our long-haired friend turns out to be an everyman-cum-stagehand, who's seldom out of sight or sound. He sits and watches Boudicca talking to her wounded cheiftain husband, and he also watches the scheming Romans waiting for the Iceni leader to die. Meanwhile he moves some props about.(it's soo easy)
Boudicca is introduced as a prototype Joan of Arc with lungs the size of hot-air balloons.(???) The western tribes may well have followed her simply to stop her shouting so much, but the barking Romans - with their pseudo Robert Graves dialogue - were always going to win against the new-age mumbo-jumbo script the Iceni had been given.(well exactly, talk about missing the point) Some of the acting is competent, and there is the occasional poignant moment. But the play is so patchy and the direction so jerky, no continuity emerges. For a tale that could have been with such passion, (sic) and is told with great energy, (why thank you) there's a disappointing emptiness at the centre.

R.G. Ashworth
Essex County Standard.

So, all in all, Colchester was a bit of a dissapointment for us, (we think that Boudicca probably had the right idea) but better things were just around the corner.

The following weekend we went to St. Alban's for 2 nights in the studio of the brilliant Abbey Theatre. Bar a few problems with the van hire, everything went very smoothly, a good crowd of 50 or so crammmed into the very intimate space and the play was properly and genuinely appreciated.
Doing the show in such a small space after the vastness of St. Gregory's and Colchester Arse Centre had an electrifying effect, and some of the scenes became genuinely spine-tingling.
A great night in the town, including a few rather unsavoury episodes involving qarky, another great show the following night to an even fuller house, and it was finally all over.

Jo Edye.