Method in the sadness
Date published: 09 December 2014
CHRISTMAS during the First World War was brought to life for visitors to George Street Chapel.
The Home for Christmas event on Sunday featured poems, songs and small performances to commemorate the 100-year anniversary of the start of the war.
The original 5pm performance was sold out with a 2.30pm performance added to satisfy public demand.
It was an ambitious first concert for the cosy chapel in Oldham town centre which was bursting with guests and performers.
Produced by Richard Hall, of the Coliseum, the performance saw Saddleworth Male Voice Choir joined by young performers of TheatreLAB and the Young Rep Company.
Popular wartime songs were performed by the talented Oldham Youth brass Ensemble, who were all too aware that those went off to fight 100 years ago would have been around their age.
Many of the memories featured were close to home, as the majority of the research for the performance focused on how the war affected those in Oldham, Saddleworth and Greater Manchester as a whole.
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