Trilogy of plays explore what it means to be from Mansfield

‘Going to see a man about a dog’ is a series of three plays written about identity and language across Mansfield district.

The plays were performed at Mansfield Palace Theatre, as well as Warsop Old Hall, Church Warsop.

Celebrating Notts Language project, an interactive and educational exhibition, worked with Mansfield Palace Theatre and writers on the plays.

From Durgs to Ducks by Alan Dawson, Are You From Warsop? by Stacey Moon-Tracy and We Are Us, Here! by Jack Burrows, co-created with Mansfield Palace Youth Theatre, tell a story about what it means to be from Mansfield through generations.

Stacey, a 39-year-old scriptwriter and postgraduate researcher from Warsop, said: “When working on the Warsop play, I attended community sessions with Vibrant Warsop and spoke to residents there.

“The swans kept coming up time and time again, so, I wrote a story around the swans, as they have in many ways become a symbol of Warsop’s community.

“I read about the swans being poisoned and saw how much they meant to residents, so I merged that into a story about a man who lost his wife during Covid.

“Missing her and struggling to move on, he camped out on the church grounds to watch over the swans to catch the culprit and guard the birds.

“Warsop truly is a place that brings people together. It was great to have the play performed in Warsop too.”

Prof Natalie Braber, Celebrating Notts Language project leader, said: “The project aims to invoke pride in local communities, enhancing feelings of connection and belonging to local places – many of which have experienced economic and social turmoil following the closure of coal mines, the pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis.”

Christopher Neil, Palace Theatre learning and aspiration manager, said: “We wanted to involve local playwrights, actors, and the youth theatre, to include all generations when exploring language and identity in Mansfield.

“We ran three 20-minute plays and all performances sold out.”

One audience member, Maddy Pritchard, said it was brilliant and delivered “a unique and interesting concept – exploring identity within the district”.