Oh I do like to be beside the Seacroft
‘Oh I do like to be beside the Seacroft’ was wrote and co-directed by Boff Whalley, musical director and former member of Chumbawamba, alongside actor and director Jane Morland. It followed on from the 2015 sell-out performance ‘Gipton the Musical’, taking inspiration from the communities of East Leeds. The lively musical show was set in the ginnels and parks of Seacroft and was performed at West Yorkshire Playhouse on the 15th July 2017 to a sell-out audience.
Stories and histories collected from the community of Seacroft were incorporated within a mythical and fantastical narrative that included a live band, dancers, mermaids and sea creatures, bringing East Leeds to life. The show tells the story of a small-town boy on an epic journey. It draws heavily on the area’s history and is made from local myths and local geography, with some truth interwoven alongside fairy-tale. The use of local stories within the narrative gives local people time to develop confidence, skills and self-esteem to participate with parity of status alongside professionals and volunteers and contribute to the artistic process.
Photographs by Lizzie Coombes