Theatre company UnderConstruction present The Lost Voices of Oxford's Great War

Imagine an Oxford in which malaria patients are being treated in Oxford Town Hall, people suffering from post-traumatic stress-disorder are being treated in an ‘Asylum’ in Little-more, the gardens of New College are serving as a recuperation area, and the Examination Schools and Somerville College are functioning as military hospitals. An Oxfordshire in which contentious objectors are being housed in Garsington Manor where they have taken up farming to evade conscription, an Oxford in which much of the female population are making munitions.

Local theatre company UnderConstr-uction will unlock these stories and our imaginations, transporting audiences and workshop participants back in time to Oxfordshire during the First World War. UnderConstruction works with the history and community of their chosen location to inspire and inform their work. Drawing upon Oxford’s rich history, the company has been building a first-class reputation for the site-specific performances they have been producing since establishing in 2006.

No ordinary theatre company, UnderConstruction takes to the streets, appears on top of ancient mounds, pops up in museums, and emerges from behind hay bales in public squares and parks. The company’s ethos is centred in collaboration with other artists and multiple art forms spanning story-tell-ing, poetry, music, dance, multi-media and projection, making it impossible to second-guess what one might encounter at an UnderConstruction performance.

Funded by The Heritage Lottery Fund, The Lost Voices of Oxford’s Great War is a community research and drama project that aims to collect, share and preserve Oxford’s untold First World War stories. It will comprise an original piece of theatre devised in response to stories that the company hope will come from members of the public, a series of five workshops that they will coordin-ate, five stories for the Museum of Oxf-ord’s Oral Jukebox, and five cost-umes that will be specially comm-issioned for UnderConstruction’s production that will later be on permanent display in the Museum of Oxford’s gallery.

UnderConstruction Theatre’s Lizzy McBain said: “We are really excited to be partnering the mus-eum on this multi-faceted creative project. As well as gaining valuable insight into our city through research for our original play, we are looking forward to sharing stories and artefacts with the local community to promote a wider understanding of what the everyday Oxford person contributed to the war effort.”

The workshops, which are free to attend and are open to all teenagers and adults, will take place in Littlemore Village Hall and the Museum of Oxford, venues selected as immersive starting points from which to explore Oxford and Littlemore’s little-known histories as locations for military hospitals during the First World War. The work-shops will be led by Museum of Oxford staff and UnderConstruction Theatre Company alongside professional artists. Themes for the workshop include: Work and Trade in First World War Oxford; What life was like as a Soldier for people from Oxford; Conscientious Objection and the Quakers in Oxford; Being a Child in the Great War; Celebrating Christmas during the war; The Secret History of Oxford’s Military Hospitals.

UnderConstruction know there are many stories of sacrifice and courage involving ordinary people during the First World War that lie dormant and will be forgotten unless unearthed and preserved. They are keen to hear from people with stories to tell, and artefacts that could provide inspiration for this creative process. Contact Antonia Harland-Lang at Oxford City Council on aharland-lang@oxf ford.gov.uk/01865 252118. To book a workshop place call this number too.

The Lost Voices of Oxford’s Great War
* Intergenerational Creative Workshops
* Littlemore Village Hall and the Museum of Oxford in Oxford Town Hall
* Thursday evenings until December 4