Voyage of local Mayflower Pilgrim to be commemorated.
A free community event, the Mayflower 400 Community Day, commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Mayflower and Pilgrim Edward Winslow will take place on 4th July from 11am–5pm across Droitwich Spa town centre and Lido Park.
Born in 1595 in the town and baptised in St Peters Church, Edward Winslow was one of the first pilgrims to America, who sailed on the Mayflower in 1620. Mayflower 400 is a national commemoration, remembering the lives of the Mayflower Pilgrims, the Native American people they encountered and their legacy.
Exploring themes of freedom, humanity and imagination the day will include storytelling, music, performance, virtual reality and craft for all the family. Confirmed programme highlights include work from one of the UKs leading street theatre and circus companies Acrojou with their show All At Sea, set in a boat, and Poetry Jukebox by artist and theatre maker Adie Mueller with a selection of poetry chosen to be performed especially for this event.
Also confirmed to-date are regional companies including children’s opera company B’Opera with their especially devised A Mayflower Tale to be performed on the bandstand in Lido Park and Worcestershire based White Socks Theatre who will present a children’s show about Edward Winslow and the sailing of the ship in Droitwich Spa Library.
On the day, audiences will also be able to take a walk through history on the Mayflower ship itself with virtual reality experiences created by local resident Professor Robert Stone, Visiting Professor in XR & Telepresence, and his Human Interface Technologies Team at The University of Birmingham.
The Community Day programming team are seeking local community groups and artists to create or perform throughout the day, already confirmed are the local Rock Choir performing on the main stage along with Westacre Middle school.
Alex Sinton, Leader of Droitwich Spa Town Council said: “We are looking forward to marking this commemorative anniversary with a special free event in Droitwich Spa. We are proud to be part of the National Mayflower 400 event programme which connects Droitwich’s unique history in a global context. We really hope local artists and community groups will get in touch to be involved in what promises to be a truly memorable day.”
Will Kerton, Owner of Churchfields Saltworks, the makers of the event’s principal sponsors Droitwich Salt said: “As a family business, Droitwich Salt are delighted to be supporting this initiative for Droitwich Spa, bringing a high-quality arts programme to the town for families of all ages. As many know, Winslow was from a salt merchant family, we will be bringing Droitwich Salt into the food offer for the day with special Salt Burgers and ice cream and are looking forward to this special event.”
The full Mayflower 400 Community Day programme will be announced in due course. If you’d like to perform, be part of the artistic programme contact: enquiries@opusartsevents.co.uk to request more information by Monday 16th March 5pm.
If you’d like to volunteer on the day contact: paige@opusartsevents.co.uk with an outline of your interest. More information and further updates can be found here