About the Show

SPONTANEOUS PRODUCTIONS in association with KIRKDALE BOOKSHOP presents:

A FREE screening of all four parts of a groundbreaking community musical marking the centenary of the end of WW1.

Back in July 2014, to mark the centenary of the start of WW1, Spontaneous Productions and Sydenham Arts Festival staged an epic four-part community musical, at four different venues. Telling the story of the gasworkers of the South Suburban Gas Company in Lower Sydenham, 58 of whom made the ultimate sacrifice, these free full-length musical shows were part-funded by Arts Council England and Heritage Lottery Fund.

This groundbreaking production featured a cast of over 200 people, including professional actors, two community choirs, three primary schools, two secondary schools and a youth theatre. Written and researched by Lucy Kaufman, produced and co-directed by Jonathan Kaufman with a team of three directors, and with original songs written and composed by Julian Kaufman, the shows received universal praise from the 1000+ people who came to see it.

Now, marking the centenary of the Armistice in November 1918, we are screening all four parts over two days. This unmissable experience, a testament to the Sydenham community, explores our rich heritage, telling an authentic, complex story which confronts all aspects of war.

The Audience Reviews

What audiences said about TILL THE BOYS COME HOME:

• “I saw all four of these plays and I loved them. I was only planning to go to two but enjoyed them so much that I saw all four. The acting and singing was West End standard” (Caroline Finill)
• “I thought the whole experience of Till the boys Come Home, Parts 1, 2 3 and 4 were fantastic” (Luigi Salsano)
• “We thought “Till The Boys Come Home” was a superb production. The involvement of so many different parts of the community, particularly children, was very striking, and the focus on the workers from the gasworks, and their families, was an extremely imaginative and successful way of telling the story through the eyes of the people of Sydenham.” (Gordon and Barbara Morse)
• “We were so impressed by what you achieved. It seemed an ambitious project and when we booked for all four parts we were not sure what to expect. But it just got better and better” (Robert Side and Valerie Kelly)
• “I was very impressed by the whole thing, it was gripping and poignant, and brought history alive. A wonderful idea to base it on the local people around the Gasworks.” (Suzy Gettrup)