Category Archives: Meadows to Meaders

The Chicken Stealer’s Nativity, a Legend of Southmead

Why is there a crowd outside of Aldi?

Who stole the chicken?

Is that a police helicopter above Vera’s pub?

Meadows to Meaders cast members from Southmead’s very own community soap opera have been working with Bristol Old Vic as part of a special Christmas Show for 2020 called Angels in Bristol.

Tom Morris and Vanessa Kisuule (Bristol City Poet 2018–20) have united with schools and communities across Bristol and the region to create a truly Bristolian version of The Greatest Story Ever Told. This is the Nativity, but not as you know it, retold as a story of miraculous hope in a city aching for change.”

The Meadows to Meaders cast have helped with the 6th episode of Angels in Bristol, Miracle 6: The Chicken Stealer’s Nativity, a Legend of Southmead, that will be available on Christmas day.

Further information about this free show and how to receive each episode is available on the Old Vic web pages.

Library Memories

Before Lockdown, the cast from Southmead’s community soap opera, Meadows to Meaders (that is written and performed by local residents) were working with theatre designer, Katie Sykes in Southmead Library to create props and costumes for our third episode, Love on the Mead which has been postponed to a time that is safe for all participants and audience members.

The Meadows to Meaders cast making props and costumes at Southmead Library

Virtual rehearsals are continuing on an online platform during Lockdown and were joined for one session by Paul Walker from Bristol Libraries to feature in the library podcast series, Shelf Lifehttps://soundcloud.com/user-248096612/shelf-life-4-meaders-wouldnt-say-it-like-that-local-learning-in-southmead

The stories that inform the Meadows to Meaders script are based on true events and the cast have been remembering their early library experiences, some from a time before Southmead Library was built.

Click the link below to view the story map that has been created from these memories that were collected during weekly Zoom sessions and emails.

Library Memories story map

Records of Southmead

We asked the cast of the Southmead community soap opera, Meadows to Meaders to tell us about the first piece of music that they could call their own.

Their stories cover vinyl bought in the 1950s to Spotify today, Mendelssohn to Eminem and goes from Broadmead to Porto and back to Southmead.

Click the link below to view the story map that has been created from these memories that were collected during weekly Zoom sessions and emails.

Records of Southmead story map