Spring Board East
Our Work
Suffragettes at Norwich Castle.
In April 2018 Springboard East were awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund. It is 100 years since women were given the vote. To celebrate this important centenary Springboard East are performing a re-enactment of a suffragette trial at the Shirehall Courtroom at Norwich Castle. As part of the project Springboard East have been working in partnership with the Girl Guides to uncover local stories about this fascinating period.
Miriam Pratt was a Norwich suffragette and a passionate campaigner for the right to vote. “We have a right to be heard, a right to vote, a right to be equal” But attitudes at the time meant that the demand for votes was often met with ridicule.“Women don’t need the vote. Their husbands can vote for them”.
Miriam’s belief in direct action led her to breaking the law with dire personal consequences. Famous at the time of her trial Miriam’s story has now been forgotten. Witness her trial live at Norwich Castle. Experience the workings of an Edwardian courtroom. Miriam dared to challenge society’s attitude to women and class. What was her fate?
Contact Springboard East direct or Norwich Castle for group bookings
Hear Jim and Annette in interview on BBC Radio Norfolk.
The International Guide Jamboree at Norwich Showground, August 2018
Victorian Criminals On Trial.
In the Shire Hall Court room at Norwich Castle...Spring Board East has been funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund to provide re-enactments of historic trials that took place in Norwich in the 19th century.
The Trial of John Stratford: 1829
Who made the poisoned dumplings? Who ate them by mistake with tragic results? As the story unfolds dark deeds are discovered. Is the prisoner guilty or not guilty and what was their fate?
The Downham Two: 1816
There has been rioting in the town of Downham Market. Thomas Thody and Daniel Harwood stand accused along with seventeen others. See how 19th century justice deals with the poor, the hungry and the dispossessed.
Local Press Article: EDP24.co.uk
Mustard TV Feature:
Who We Are
James Carpmael
James has worked as an actor and director for over thirty years. He has toured Britain with a number of companies. Over the past ten years he has worked with Norfolk Museums providing many different characters for educational programmes.
Annette Colgan
Annette worked for South Glamorgan Theatre In Education (funded by the Arts Council and Local Education Authority) devising, writing, performing and running workshops for both primary and secondary schools. She has a diploma in Creative Writing for Children from the University of East Anglia and is Cert Ed.
Harvey Salmon
Following an Honours Degree in English from Royal Holloway College (University of London), Harvey obtained a Postgraduate Diploma in Classical Acting from London Theatre School (Arts Educational). He worked for ten years as a freelance drama practitioner at the National Theatre Museum in Covent Garden devising and delivering workshops on a wide range of subjects for students from primary age to undergraduates. He has devised and delivered many projects for students with behavioral issues and a wide range of physical disabilities in schools and museums all over the country. An official drama practitioner for the Ambassadors Theatre Group, he is also a storyteller and a presenter. More info here: www.harveysalmon.co.uk
Matt Reeve
Matt is an award winning artist, designer and educator with a BA (hons) in Theatre Dramaturgy and MA in Animation and Sound Design. He works as a freelancer in both visual and performance arts with an emphasis on animation, puppetry, sculpture and the digital realm. His experience running arts education projects with children of all ages and abilities has led him to work throughout East Anglia, Italy, Belgium and beyond. More info here: www.mattreeve.co.uk
John Simpson Wedge
John is a historian and poet whose work has been described as 'nicely surreal' and 'like Roald Dahl's Revolting Rhymes for adults'. A background in philosophy and history, his work frequently includes historical or fantastical references. He currently works for the education department of Norwich Theatre Royal.
Past Projects
Suffragette Centenery Grant Fund.
In February 2018 Annette Colgan received an award from the Suffragette Centenary Grant Fund to deliver 10 free workshops to Norfolk Primary Schools on the suffragette movement. It provided year 6 students with an opportunity to find out more about the suffragettes and their struggle for the right to vote. Using craft, music, drama and storytelling the pupils re-enacted the Rush on Parliament of 1908.
Schools visited include: Pulham Market,Woodland View, Howard Junior, Magdalen Gates, Kinsale Junior, Alburgh with Denton, Peterhouse Primary and North Wootton Academy.
Destination Democracy. (2013-2016)
999 Years of History, 2 Actors, 1 Vote.
Everett's boring night in front of the TV turns into an unexpected adventure when time travelling professor Dr. Hugo Hourglass interrupts the election night coverage. A madcap story of power struggles, conspiracy, protest and sacrifice, charting key events in the history of Parliament and British democracy.
Spring Board East were commissioned by the Education Outreach Department at Parliament to research, write and perform a 50 minute performance on the history of democracy for years 4, 5 and 6. The fast moving production used only 2 actors to cover a thousand years of history charting the struggle of men and women for the vote. The piece was accompanied by animation and multimedia by Matt Reeve and included original poetry written by John Simpson-Wedge.
The performance was followed by two interactive workshops, the first explored the working lives of children in Victorian Britain and the campaign to improve their rights and conditions. In the 2nd workshop the children met a suffragette and enrolled in the Votes For Women campaign.
The project was piloted in Bristol and Lowestoft in 2013 and was followed by a highly successful tour of primary schools throughout East Anglia during the 2013-14, 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic years. Appearances were also made at Barking and Lincoln arts festivals, Canterbury Arts Festival on 15th September 2016 and Cambridge Festival of ideas on 22nd September 2016. The project was fully funded and was therefore free to primary schools in Norfolk, Suffolk, Cambridgeshire, Essex and parts of Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire.
Teachers Reviews...
Hostilities Have Commenced! (2014-2015)
Spring Board East were awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund to create a living history programme looking at the 2nd World War for Norfolk Secondary Schools.
Specifically aimed at year 8 the project introduced the pupils to life in 1941. When they arrived at Gressenhall they were met by enactors and steeped into a world at war. The pupils partook in a number of activities to play their part in the war effort.
As the students worked a story line unfolded concerning the ever present danger of air raids, an escaped prisoner of war and the threat of 5th columnists. The pupils were faced with a number of challenges which they had to solve and make difficult decisions.
As part of the project we also offered a visit to the Bridewell to discover how Norwich fared during the war and how ordinary people's lives were affected. Again the pupils could meet an enactor from the period and have the opportunity to engage in direct discussion about what life was like at that time.
The project took place between September 2014 and July 2015, and was supported by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Spring Board East ran a series of drama workshops for BREAK charity for young people with learning disabilities. Using masks, instruments and storytelling the young people were involved in making a DVD to showcase their work. This went towards an Arts Award Discover Level Certificate and was later used as a case study example. The project was funded by Awards for All.
Over the school summer holiday of 2012 Spring Board East worked with Families House in Norwich to provide a series of drama workshops for young people with ADHD aged between 9 and 15. Using music, mime, improvisation and craft work the young people put together a DVD of their summer together to take home and keep. Project funded by Awards for All.
In September 2012 Springboard East worked with Momentum to provide a full day storyboard workshop for young people with disabilities. This workshop was part of a larger film project funded by the Children With Disabilities Team. The aim of the workshop was to encourage and enable the young people to develop their own ideas about how to tell their story on film.
See our present work.Contact Us
By email at: springboardeast@btinternet.com
By phone: 01508 558985 or by using the form provided.
Social Media: @SpringBoardEast on Twitter