Desc: Manchester Heroes, Sept 1819 • Credit: [ The Art Archive / Eileen Tweedy ] • Ref: AA327714

Exactly 200 years on, just as the people protesting at Peterloo on 16 August 1819 came together, so too will the people remembering those who lost their lives, were injured or were there to seek rights and representation on this historic day.

Communities from across Greater Manchester and far beyond will be gathering on the site of St Peter’s Field on Friday 16 August 2019 for the Peterloo 2019 Anniversary Event, a day of music, song, choirs and more, with From the Crowd at the centre; as a hopeful and moving reflection of where this story began.

Throughout the day there will be a gathering of people in performance, voice and spirit. From the Crowd will see members of the public invited to join in and play their part in an immersive experience that will take place at different times throughout the day.

Supported using public funding by the National Lottery through Arts Council England and Manchester City Council, it is directed by Evie Manning  and musically directed by Robin Richards who have worked with communities and contributors including the Peterloo Ambassadors, Greater Manchester Coalition of Disabled People, These Walls Must Fall, Young Identity and Linda Brogan (playwright and artist).

All of the events taking place on the site of St Peter’s Field on 16 August 2019, including From the Crowd, are being co-produced by Manchester Histories, Manchester City Council, Walk the Plank and Brighter Sound.

The eyewitness accounts of those present at Peterloo 1819 and the words of contemporary protestors and poets have been woven together to create a powerful piece that, with no spectators only participants, will come From the Crowd.

Collectively they will voice a picture of what happened on 16 August 1819 and the change people want to happen in 2019.

At times a single voice will be heard; at times hundreds of voices will amplify the story and charge the atmosphere, all connected to the legacy of Peterloo and what it means today. The soundscape will be set against a musical score, which has been composed and directed by Robin Richards (Dutch Uncles) and will include guest pieces by MC Zani (performed by the Beatbox Collective), Oliver Vibrans and Katie Chatburn.

Evie Manning, From The Crowd’s Creative Director, says, “From the Crowd is a dialogue between 1819 and 2019. In it the words will journey between solo voices, 200 people speaking together and 800 voices strong in unison. The piece explores the power of the crowd, the sense of the unexpected and the galvanising solidarity that manifests when people are together as one. We’ll be remembering those that protested and lost their lives at Peterloo and those whose lives today are affected by different oppressions.”

Helping to lead From the Crowd participants will be 100 people who have volunteered to be ‘Laurels’. The Laurels are a reminder that Peterloo was a peaceful protest, with one group of marchers that made their way to St Peter’s Field from Middleton carrying branches of laurel as a symbol of peace along with their banners that told of their purpose, including
‘Liberty and Fraternity’ and ‘Suffrage Universal’. Amongst those taking on the role of being a Laurel are a number of direct descendants of the 60,000 people present in 1819.

From the Crowd will be free, ticketed performances that will punctuate a day filled with song, poetry, choirs and more in the form of Rebel Karaoke. Streetwise Opera, Aziz Ibrahim, Commoners Choir and hip hop artists from Brighter Sound’s recent DISRUPT residency will be amongst those making Rebel Karaoke performances with more to be announced.

From the Crowd is a free, ticketed Peterloo 2019 Anniversary Event taking place at 12:30pm, 5:30pm and 8:00pm on Friday 16 August.  Tickets will be released at 9:00am on Thursday 25 July via https://fromthecrowd.eventbrite.co.uk

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