St. Ives Youth Theatre - News Release
	Date:	3rd July 2011
	Subject	SIYT VISIT TO PLAGUE VILLAGE
	Contacts	For press enquiries about St. Ives Youth Theatre, please contact Ian Lloyd on 07803 088185. More information about the St Ives Youth Theatre is available on www.siyt.co.uk

St Ives Youth Theatre broke into it's rehearsals for it's Summer Production 'Eyam' to visit the plague village in the beautiful Derbyshire Peak District that is the inspiration for this emotional musical. Eyam tells the moving story of a village that decided to cut itself off from the rest of the world rather than risk spreading the deadly bubonic infection to others. This is a love story of immense bravery and with tragedy very much at it's heart.

The cast visited Eyam Museum to understand the facts and figures of the outbreak before making the uphill trek through the beautiful wooded hillsides above the village to the remote well where foods, mediciments and letters were exchanged with other villages during the quarantine. They were able to visit the houses and farms occupied by their characters and spent time in Eyam Church.

Frankie Morgan plays a woman who was stoned and chased from a neighbouring village when she is suspected of carrying the plague. She was very moved by visiting the Village Church "It's incredible to think that all our characters were baptized in this font" she said, "that they all sat here in this church 450 years ago. It really was very emotional to be here."

"Now it makes sense" said Peter Bottley who plays Roland Torre, a man from a neighbouring village engaged to a girl cutoff from the world in Eyam, "It's amazing to think that they were all ordinary people like us but so brave."

The cast were able to reenact the oathes taken by the people of Eyam in the church when they agreed not to leave the village so the infection was contained. Out of a population of 350 only 83 people survived the plague.

"It has been an incredible day and very moving" said Artistic Director Jonathan Salt. "I think the reality of this amzing story has begun to sink in. The company will approach this tale of love and immense bravery with the respect and the authenticity it deserves. Eyam promises to be a really great show", he added.

The company finished the day by collecting around the grave of the Village Rector's wife, Katherine Mompresson, and listening to a reading of a letter commisioned by the heart-broken rector to explain to his children how their mother had died.

Eyam can be seen between 20th - 23rd July 2011 at the Burgess Hall in St. Ives – tickets are available online at www.siyt.co.uk/boxoffice.html and at Hephers Electrical in St. Ives.

Photographs can be made available of cast and company members can be made available for interview.

More information about the St Ives Youth Theatre is available on www.siyt.co.uk

Ends 

For press enquiries for St. Ives Youth Theatre, please contact Ian Lloyd on 07803-088185