24 Hours of Peace

24HOP

A guide to the audio recording hour by hour

This performance of TWENTY FOUR HOURS OF PEACE was recorded  at  – and broadcast live from – the Royal Exchange Theatre Manchester on Sunday November 10th and Monday November 11th  2019. It features a company of 48 performers;  22 of them were members of Manchester’s diverse cultural communities, 26 of them were professionals. The youngest performer in the company was 15, and the oldest 86. The constant and complex interweaving of  their very different voices throughout the performance  reflects the diversity of the material they were reading – a 237,000-word-long text created by author and director Neil Bartlett from the  verbatim transcripts of  a 100 interviews with contemporary peace-workers that he had conducted in the |United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland ( plus one trip to Belgium)  in the winter and spring of 2018/9. This marathon text is structured as  a sequence of 22 discrete but inter-connected “hours” , all but one of them roughly 60 minutes in length. It was originally performed – and broadcast – without interruption. 2,970 people attended the live performance ; an estimated  35,000 people listened in to the original broadcast.

HOUR ONE : The recording begins shortly before 11 am on Sunday 10th November 2019 . Director Neil Bartlett welcomes the audience, and invites them to join with his company in observing the day’s Remembrance Sunday two-minute silence. Once this silence is over, a multi-voiced series of reflections on the contradictory meanings of that silence frames stories  from Jonathan Powell ( Intermediate, London), Nobel-prize nominee and veteran  activist Scilla Ellworthy ( Wiltshire) and Shannen Johnson (  Peace Museum, Bradford).

The twenty-two members of the company appearing in this hour are ;  Alison Peebles / Cherylee Houston / Daniel Healiss / Derbhle Crotty / Guy Rhys / Hazel Roy / Hiba Choudhry/ Joe Emmerson / Kate Ireland / Liz Hume-Dawson / Maggie Steed/ Marlon Solomon / Maureen Stirpe / Mina Anwar/ Oceana Cage / Richard Cant/ Sameera Reyani / Sara Abanur / Sarah Mather / Stephen Dale/ Tamzin Griffin / Wyllie Longmore / Yusra Warsama

HOUR TWO  : This hour features testimony from ; Diana Francis  (Author and activist , Bath) ; Sandhya Sharma (Safety for Sisters, Manchester ) Sean Morris ( Mayors for Peace, Manchester) ; Marwan Darweish ( Centre for Trust, Peace and Social Relations , Coventry)  and  Jennifer Dathan (Action On Armed Violence, London ).

The performers  in this hour are  Alima Sonne / Cherylee Houston / David Longworth / Deborah Leech Guy Rhys / Hafsah Bashir / Maggie Steed / Mina Anwar/ Sameera Reyani / Sandra Cole / Steffan Rhodri / Tamzin Griffin /Yusra Warsama

HOUR THREE : This hour features testimony from ; Dr Erinma Bell  ( Community peace activist, Manchester ) Revd. Inderjit Bhogal  ( Cities of Sanctuary, Sheffield); Jonathan Cohen (Conciliation Resources, London) and  Michelle Ross ( CliniQ, London).

The performers  in this hour are Abas El Janabi / Andy Muzondiwa / Daniel Healiss / Derbhle Crotty / Eileen Longworth / Gillian Cragg/ Marlon Solomon / Maureen Stirpe / Miranda Richardson Richard Cant / Steven Ireland / Tom Durrant

HOUR FOUR : This hour features testimony from Pat Magee  (who planted the 1984 IRA Brighton bomb)  in conversation with peace activist and educator Jo Berry , whose father he killed with that bomb; Dr Ghidari Bhan ( Interfaith Network, Manchester); four members of  the activist centre Braich Goch in Wales – and  four young Somalian women from the grassroots activist organisation  NOMAD (West London).

The performers  in this hour are Alicia Bloundele / Andy Muzondiwa / Guy Rhys / Hafsah Bashir Hiba Choudhry / Miranda Richardson / Oceana Cage/ Sara Abanur / Sarah Mather / Steffan Rhodri / Wyllie Longmore

HOUR FIVE : This hour features testimony from Juweria Ali ( University College, London /Ogaden;  Ian  Partridge (SHAPE, Mons, Belgium) ; Lindis Percy ( veteran peace activist, Harrogate) and  Jonathan Powell ( Intermediate, London ).All of the women peace-workers who Neil Bartlett interviewed for TWENTY FOUR HOURS OF PEACE are name-checked.

The performers  in this hour are Alicia Bloundele / Andy Muzondiwa / David Fleeshman/Guy Rhys / Hafsah Bashir Hiba Choudhry / Miranda Richardson / Oceana Cage/ Sara Abanur / Sarah Mather / Steffan Rhodri / Wyllie Longmore

HOUR SIX : This hour features testimony from Tommy Judge ( Manchester City Council); Nigel Bromage ( Small Steps, Birmingham) ; Symon Hill  ( Peace pledge Union, London ) ; Kelly Simcock ( The Tim Parry and Johnathan Ball Peace Centre, Warrington) and Jay Sutherland (Scotland Against Militarism, Glasgow).   Six hours into the performance, darkness falls outside the theatre – but  the  act of  bearing witness to the work of peace continues.

The performers  in this hour are Alima Sonne / Cherylee Houston / Chris Jack / Esh Alladi/ Hazel Roy / Joe Emmerson / Kieran Cunningham / Liz Hume-Dawson/ Maureen Stirpe / Mina Anwar / Richard Cant / Steffan Rhodri

HOUR SEVEN  : This hour features testimony from  Steph  Howlett ( SCRAPS, Sheffield) ;Almas Farzi ( Asylum Welcome, Oxford) ; Ann Feltham (Campaign Against Arms Trade, London) and Stephen Gethins MP  ( Portcullis House, London ).

The performers  in this hour are Abas El Janabi / Alicia Bloundele / Alison Peebles / Daniel Healiss Hazel Roy / Julie Hesmondhalgh / Liz Carr / Maureen Stirpe/ Sameera Reyani / Sharma Walfall / Steven Ireland/ Tamzin Griffin / Tom Durrant / Wyllie Longmore

HOUR EIGHT : This hour features testimony from ;  Caesar Nyeko Poblicks ( Conciliation Resources, London ); Revd. Canon  David Wyatt ( St Paul’s Church , Salford); Hannah Brock ( Roots of Resistance, Sheffield) and Celia McKeon ( Rethinking Security, York )

The performers  in this hour are Adjoa Andoh / Alima Sonne / Andy Muzondiwa / Carla Henry/ Derbhle Crotty / Guy Rhys / Hiba Choudhry / Maggie Steed Marlon Solomon / Miranda Richardson / Sarah Mather

HOUR NINE  : This hour features testimony from ; Olga-Lucia Johns ( Women’s International League for Peace and Freedom, Cornwall) ; Matt Beard ( All Out; interviewed by SKYPE from Brazil); Matt Dougall ( White Ribbon campaign, Blackpool); Nudrat Alexander Mogul  and Ilyas Patel ( Near Neighbours, Blackburn) and Louise Mallinder (Belfast Amnesty and Accountancy Principles Project, Belfast University).

The performers in this hour are Cherylee Houston / Eileen Longworth / Esh Alladi/ Julie Hesmondhalgh/ Kate Ireland / Sandra Cole Sharma/ Walfall / Toby Jones / Tom Durrant

HOUR TEN : This hour features testimony from ; Zrinka Bralo ( Migrants Organise, London); Beeban Kidron ( House of Lords, London); Rob Deeks ( Aik Saath, Slough); Leisha Beardmore ( International Rescue Committee, London/Syria) and Ana Victoria Bastidas ( St Matthews Church, Yiewsley, London )

The performers  in this hour are  Adjoa Andoh/Carla Henry/ David Longworth/ Sarah Mather/ Toby Jones.

HOUR ELEVEN : This hour features testimony from ; Imam Irfan Chishti ( “Me and You”, Chishtiah mosque, Rochdale ) ; Jonathan Powell ( Intermediate, London) ; Jo Clifford ( playwright and performer, Glasgow) ; Emma Sky ( author , London) and  Donald Sutherland ( pacifist and Conscientious Objector, Lincoln)

The performers  in this hour are Abas El Janabi / Andy Muzondiwa / Guy Rhys / Hafsah Bashir Marlon Solomon / Miranda Richardson / Sameera Reyani Stephen Dale / Tamzin Griffin

HOUR TWELVE  : This hour features testimony from ; Ian Johnson ( UK Veterans For Peace, Lancaster); Peter St Ange ( Hate crime activist, Deal ); Pauline Sargent and Patsy McKie ( Mothers Against Violence, Manchester) and  Khadija Coll ( One Community/Violence Reduction Unite, Glasgow).

The performers  in this hour are Esh Alladi / Kieran Cunningham / Liz Carr / Mina Anwar

HOUR THIRTEEN : This hour features testimony from ; Audrey Layton ( veteran Greenham Common activist, Redditch); Chrissie Steenkamp (Brookes University, Oxford) and Reem, an anonymous member of staff at Medact, London.

Performed by  Liz Carr and Tamsin Griffin.

HOUR FOURTEEN : This hour features testimony from ; Rabbi Rebecca Birk ( Finchley Progressive Synagogue, London);  Vesna Matovic ( International Alert, London ) ; Hannah Brock ( Roots for Resistance, Sheffield)  and Saba Shafi ( The Advocacy Academy, London).

Performed  by Liz Hume-Dawson.

HOUR FIFTEEN  : This hour features testimony from ; Avila Kilmurray ( Northern Ireland Women’s Coalition, Belfast); Lee Lawrence ( author and  campaigner, London); Bethan Roberts ( Welsh Peace Institute ); Jo Clifford  ( playwright and performer, Glasgow); Symon Hill ( Peace Pledge Union, London) and  Vesna Matovic ( International Alert, London )

Performed  by Derbhle Crotty.

HOUR SIXTEEN : This hour features testimony from ; Charlotte Cooper ( Child Soldiers International, London ) ; Scottee ( artist, London) ; Diana Francis  ( peace activist and author, Bath) and  Mike Haines ( Global Acts of Unity, Dundee).

Performed  by Neil Bartlett.

HOUR SEVENTEEN : This hour features testimony from ; Carolyn Cleary ( CRESST, Sheffield) ; Caesar Nyeko Poblicks ( Conciliation Resources, London)  and  Leanne Cameron ( Coventry City Council Ethnic Minority Achievement Service, Coventry).

Performed  by Chris Jack.

HOUR EIGHTEEN : This hour features testimony from ; Susan and Arthur McHugh ( peace activists during The Troubles,  Dublin); Qaisra Shahraz( Author, Manchester) and Ilker Kilich ( retired architect, London).

Performed by Julie Hesmondhalgh and Sandra Cole.

HOUR NINETEEN : This hour features testimony from ; Susi Bascon ( Peace Brigade International , London ); James Leadbitter ( Artist and activist, London ) and Zarina Khan ( Cabinet Office, London )

Performed by  Sharma Walfall.

HOUR TWENTY  : This hour features testimony from ; Salim Salamah ( Palestinian Exile Activist, London); Prof. James Thompson ( In Place of War, Manchester ) and  Baroness Beeban Kidron ( Greenham Common veteran, House of Lords, London. )

Performed by Esh Alladi.

HOURS TWENTY-ONE TO TWENTY THREE :  As the Royal Exchange Theatre  begins to fill with daylight through its still-open doors ,   this 90-minute sequence symbolically covers the penultimate three of the performance’s twenty-four  “hours”. It features a mosaic of testimony from over thirty different UK peace-workers.

The  “hour” is performed by Carla Henry/ Kieran Cunningham/ Marlon Solomon/ Sandra Cole/ Sharma Walfall/ Tamzin Griffinn.

HOUR TWENTY FOUR : 32 members of the performing company join forces to deliver this final hour: Abas El Janabi / Adjoa Andoh / Alicia Bloundele / Alima Sonne / Alison Peebles / Andy Muzondiwa / Chris Jack/ Daniel Healiss / David Longworth / Deborah Leech / Derbhle Crotty / Eileen Longworth / Hafsah Bashir / Hazel Roy/ Gillian Cragg / Joe Emeerson/ Julie Hesmondhalgh / Kate Ireland / Liz Carr/ Maggie Steed / Maureen Stirpe / Miranda Richardson / Oceana Cage / Sameera Reyani/ Sara Abanur / Sarah Mather / Stephen Dale / Steven Ireland/Toby Jones/ Tom Durrant / Yusra Warsama

A mosaic of testimony frames a central story from Zoe Williams ( Manchester City Council) reflecting on the famous words of her great grandfather, the poet Lawrence Binyon – “We will remember”. Adjoa Andoh, Julie Hesmondhaugh, Toby Jones and Miranda Richardson provide the final quartet of voices , and after over 200,000 words of text they bring the performance to its conclusion  at  precisely 11 a.m. The audience and company then remain silent for  two minutes –  a silence which  mark the exact  centenary of the very first British Armistice Day silence of November 1919. Neil Bartlett ends the show with his thanks  – and the Royal Exchange Theatre erupts in applause.