SALTMINE NEWSSpring / Summer 2020

The world feels different now, doesn’t it? We hear the words ‘unprecedented’, ‘pandemic’ and ‘crisis’ as if they were normal. We are constantly confronted with developing facts. Reality has changed – a few months ago we could gather and celebrate together, today we have to self-isolate and stay at home. But in all this instability, truth doesn’t change. In Isaiah 41:10, God said “Do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.” God is constant and present with us in this challenging situation and season.

The Chinese symbol for ‘crisis’ is made up of two strokes, one meaning ‘danger’ (wei) and one meaning ‘opportunity’ (gee). With God, we can face up to crisis. Firstly, we recognise the reality of the situation. For many people this is a season of grief and loss. Enforced solitude can be a gift of peace or a void of loneliness. The lines between home, work, school and family have been blurred. The comfort of routine is disrupted and everyone’s experiences are different and bring their own challenges.

Secondly, we seek a new way to create a different and better future. Perhaps we might find moments of stillness in which we can dream and create, to stop and be present. In the midst of chaos there is a sense of global togetherness, our need for community and connection greater than ever before. Although there are quiet streets, there are hands clapping in gratitude, there is the beauty of birdsong. I know it is unsettling but let’s keep our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith, and focus on these beautiful shafts of Godly light.

My favourite poet, Gerard Kelly, wrote @twitturgies “From the hard rock of these moments, God, let the waters of renewal flow. Pour life into the dryness of this desert. We have named this place a wilderness. May your provision make of it a fertile field. Your presence grow a garden in our grief.”

THIS UNPRECEDENTED SEASON

Writ

ten

by R

acha

el O

rrel

l

As events unfolded this spring we were faced with cancelled tours and a need to adjust. Easter was looming and with the wonderful memory of The Birmingham Passion Play 2019 fresh in our minds we decided to try something new.

Our original script was adapted and our actors recorded under duvets and in cupboards – basically whatever they could do to soundproof themselves. The big job then fell to Dave and Jacob who compiled, edited, and added soundscapes and visuals to create the final piece.

We are so proud of the many hours/days that went into this project, with most participants adjusting to a new discipline at the same time. In God’s strength we were able to launch our three episodes over the Easter week and thousands saw it through our website and on YouTube.

As our focus now shifts, we are excited to announce that we will perform the Easter story live on the streets of Birmingham again. We have provisionally booked Tuesday 30th March – Thursday 1st April for The Birmingham Passion Play 2021.

THE SALTMINE PASSION PLAY AUDIO DRAMA

From its beginnings as a ten-minute conference piece to a full-length Edinburgh Festival Fringe show, Faultlines has been an extremely malleable show. The prospect of taking Faultlines to secondary schools and adapting its contents for the most discerning of audiences – teenagers – was still a daunting one. Addressing the issue of domestic abuse and coercive control was a first, not only for Saltmine, but also for many schools which had previously been unequipped with material.

Crafting an accompanying workshop was of equal, if not more importance. Interviewing women in CHADD1’s refuge about what they would have told themselves as teenagers, we used their wisdom gained through first-hand experience to build our interactive workshop. We examined models of relationships using discussion, forum theatre, and portrayals in TV and music, enabling teenagers to identify healthy and unhealthy traits.

FAULTLINES BREAKS NEW GROUND

Faultlines has always been dependent on collaboration, and it was the continued support of CHADD and Phase Trust which enabled us to reach 2,814 young people. Up to four incredible counsellors from these organisations accompanied each of our performances in order to provide immediate aftercare to the 18 young people, and teachers, who were moved to make disclosures.

It is a huge blessing, both to us and the audiences, that Phase Trust and CHADD were on hand to navigate the difficult aftermath of ‘what happens next’ through continued support. Faultlines is testament not only to the power of storytelling but of community – we hope the ripples of its impact have only just begun.

1 CHADD – Churches Housing Association of Dudley & District

Many years ago I had the privilege of working with Rob Lacey, a Creative Associate to the leadership team of Spring Harvest, of which I was a part. Unfortunately, Rob became ill with bladder cancer and sadly died on 1st May 2006 aged 43 years. The last time I saw him, he took my hands in his and said “I believe God is going to use you in the future to advance creativity for God’s Kingdom and in the church”. He prayed with a deep belief and tears rolling down his face. Both of us had no idea that 4 years later I would be working with and eventually leading Saltmine Trust.

In 2005 Rob wrote The Liberator, a wonderful book on the gospel biographies of Jesus. He adapted it into a script for Saltmine Theatre Company, and The Liberator toured in 2005/06.

As we approached our 40th anniversary year, we felt it was time to revive The Liberator and rewrite the script. Richard Hasnip has tackled the project and we are aiming to produce and rehearse it during the summer. God willing, we will premiere it at our anniversary celebration on Saturday 7th November 2020.

THE LIBERATOR REVIVED

Written by Rachael Orrell

In a city just like yours, hope is in short supply. Politicians are corrupt, power overthrows justice, and hypocrisy and cynicism seem to be in the very air and in the bloodstream. Yet when a strange man comes to town, peculiar things start to happen: the sick rise from their beds, the dead live again, and people lost to addiction and their own desires are suddenly freed. But who is he? And how long before the powers that be crack down on this subversive, this radical, this ‘Liberator’? Inspired by the work of Rob Lacey and told in his memory, The Liberator is a passionate retelling of the Gospel of Matthew. Told in a modern idiom, this is a gospel at once faithful and utterly fresh.

THE LIBERATOR

As the first chimes of 2020 rang out, a fresh batch of actors were released onto our knife-crime play Switch Up.

This was a big change for Switch Up; there had only been two personnel changes in its entire run up until January 2020, so the task of building upon the fantastic work of the original cast seemed a mammoth one.

RINGING THE CHANGES

Written by Luke Lonergan

It was a challenge the team faced head-on. With a beautifully crafted script already in our possession, our primary task was to re-jig and update the workshop. This meant hours of researching as a team why knife-crime is such a vital issue to tackle. Our main change to the workshop was a self-penned spoken word piece. This provided a great parallel between my character, rapper-wannabe Dan, who uses music as his ‘way out’, and something that I personally love: communicating as creatively as possible.

The spoken word piece focused on ‘paving your own path’, and attempted to offer a positive way of channeling the inner decisions and emotional frustrations of life. The overarching message is that every young person is valuable, precious and worth more than risking their lives and futures by engaging in knife-crime.

You can check it out on our social media channels.

SEPSIS – A CASE STUDYOne of the greatest honours, and challenges, of Saltmine’s work is the gift of telling true stories. Communicating real people’s experiences with integrity, hope and authenticity is at the heart of producing theatre with a message – especially when that message pushes you right outside of your comfort zone.

Last summer we were commissioned by the East London NHS Foundation Trust to create a short piece of theatre for the Regional Sepsis Symposium in Bedford – a conference alerting health professionals to the dangers of the infection.

We were given a case study of a woman who lost her mother very suddenly to the disease, and interviewed a doctor who had survived sepsis to gain the professional perspective. The piece contrasted the journeys of the patient’s daughter and a junior doctor at the hospital.

I wanted to explore the various factors which affect an accurate diagnosis – from the British ‘stiff upper lip’ attitude to reporting symptoms, to the overwhelming pressures facing all NHS employees. The aim was to encourage doctors and nurses that ‘just asking’ for a second opinion on a patient’s symptoms could save their life.

Subsequently, the piece has been filmed for NHS teaching resources, and will hopefully continue to enrich the learning of our incredible health professionals.

Written by Emily Feltham

(tear this card out along the perforation, may it bless you and direct your prayers for Saltmine)

PRAY FOR SALTMINE

COMMUNITYFor unity and togetherness to preside over Saltmine as the way we interact evolves over the coming months, and for our personal faith to grow deeper in God.

INNOVATIONMost of what we do as a theatre company is impossible during this time; we need multiple fresh ideas and ways to use our gifts and talents to bless and educate.

FINANCEGrant success and new funding sources are needed. The long term financial ramifications of Coronavirus are unknown and we rely on the generosity of many supporters who will have been affected in different ways.

The cover of this prayer card is artwork we commissioned in 2016 from Matt Withers for our company thank you card. Please use it to encourage and remind you that You are more (than your limitations in this season), You can be more (God can and will use you) and, most importantly, You are not alone (we believe that God is always with you and pray that his tangible presence surrounds you).

As a charity that operates as a theatre company, how we progress out of this season is unknown. Because of this we have split our prayer needs into areas instead of months.

RECRUITMENTAs we gain new interns and staff this September we pray that God forms a strong team. Also please pray for success in acquiring much needed London Marathon runners.

ENDURANCEThat technology holds up and that creativity thrives in the coming months as shows are designed at home, and working alone or in limited numbers takes its toll.

OPPORTUNITYFor doors to open and fresh sources of work and income to surface. We are applying for lots of projects and would love to see success in the areas we believe God wants us to move into.

It is a humbling privilege to share that, thanks to the generosity of our faithful supporters, over £12,000 has been raised so far towards the Communal Kitchen Appeal that was launched last winter. As you can see our current kitchen is tired and not quite fit for purpose anymore. We are excited to create a fresh workable space for our team especially since we haven’t been able to be together in this uncertain season. Our aim is to complete the work this summer - we’ll report back in the next Saltmine News.

COMMUNAL KITCHEN APPEAL UPDATE

40TH BIRTHDAY MONTHLY SUPPORTERSWe have welcomed 9 new supporters following our recent birthday campaign to gain 40 new monthly ministry partners this year. Guaranteed support helps us plan and prepare for the future and Coronavirus has brought about an even bigger need to fulfil the remaining 31. We are so incredibly grateful to all our supporters who help us impact lives with theatre with a message. If you would like to become a monthly Saltmine supporter complete the enclosed giving form or visit saltminetrust.org.uk/donate.

Each of our Christmas shows begins life in a proposal meeting, where our creative team and associates bring suggestions and we discuss and pray about the new show and the message it conveys. Over the years we have celebrated being brave, acknowledged that love conquers all and challenged people to be thankful. We always seek to create an inclusive message that points to Jesus but allows our audience to feel included whether or not they have a faith.

At our Celebration Day this year we asked each of our three teams to share a story of tour.

Hayley from Rapunzel told of how “a lady came to us and said her son was being bullied at school; for them the timing of seeing Rapunzel and hearing the message ‘I am a masterpiece’ was powerful and poignant.”

A SALTMINE CHRISTMAS STORY

The Nutcracker was touring for its third and final year but its message of forgiveness still struck audience members of all ages. A little boy shared with the team “I fight with my sister all the time and now I know what to do to make it better.”

Hark! A Nativity Story follows the story of the shepherds and the angels; its message is that we are all invited into God’s story whoever we are. Freddy told of how at the end of a performance “a little girl of about 4 came up to us and said she wanted to know more about God’s story. We got to explain to her who Jesus is and what he did for us, and we gave her a book about the Nativity story.”

Along with these testimonies we put together our annual Christmas medley performance for our Celebration Day this January amongst many other wonderful things. It was a joyful event with friends, family and supporters celebrating our work in 2019 and looking at future plans. Celebration Day 2021 will be a party and we hope to sit side by side and acknowledge the challenges, blessings, innovation and provision we have seen at Saltmine in 2020.

Please join us for our Celebration Day on Saturday 16th January 2021

The 2.6 Challenge rallied our team and brought us together to raise money for Saltmine. To date we have raised over £9,000 plus gift aid. Each team member took on a challenge based around the number 2.6, from singing in 26 languages to squatting 260 times the tasks were wide and varied. To see what everyone did visit saltminetrust.org.uk/2.6challenge

Have you seen the content we have produced during lockdown? Go to saltminetrust.org.uk/isolationresources to see what we’ve done. The Saltmine Passion Play Audio Drama will be there along with other spoken word pieces and information on what we are currently up to.

For more information and to book any of our available productions please email creative@saltmine.org

Gifts for specific projects:If the project for any donation received has been fully funded, completed or discontinued for any reason, Saltmine Trust reserves the right to use the donation for other purposes.

01384 454 800mail@saltmine.orgsaltminetrust.org.uk@saltminetrust

61 The Broadway, Dudley, DY1 3EB. All rights reserved Saltmine Trust © 2020Saltmine Trust is a registered charity: No 1038007, and a limited company registered in England and Wales: No 2930528