Broadsheet Ballads and a Broadside exhibition at St Bride Library

St Bride Foundation is participating in the Story of London Festival this June. Both the Foundation’s education department and St Bride Library are involved; the chief outcome is Broadsheet Ballads, ‘a promenade theatre experience’, in other words a play which is performed as cast and audience move through the streets around the Foundation building in Bride Lane.

The play was written during a four-day project by the Foundation’s Youth Theatre in which a group of young people used their analytical and creative skills to respond to the character and content of broadsides in the collections of St Bride Library. During the Festival itself they will get to see their work presented to public audiences.

The press release, which I quote below with permission, is rather modest about the exhibition which accompanies the show. In fact it will be a very rare opportunity to see some of the Library’s authoritative collection of broadsides, many of which were produced (and sold) in the area where the Library is now. For enthusiasts of ephemeral printing, the exhibition is a must. For others, I would recommend it as a valuable insight into popular culture. The songs and poems, the accounts of murders, hangings, freaks and innovations are worthy of study just as much for their style and content as for their printing and illustration. You will learn a great deal about British popular culture, 19th century style.

Entwine yourself in stories from the past…

St Bride Foundation and Occam’s Razor present Broadsheet Ballads, an innovative promenade theatre experience inspired by St Bride Library’s unique collection of 19th century broadsheets. Join us on a musical adventure as we journey from St Bride Churchyard through the lanes behind Fleet Street, encountering tales from times gone by.

The performance finishes in the Grade II listed, St Bride Foundation, featuring a small exhibition of 19th Century Broadsheets and the history of this fascinating area.

St Bride Foundation is perfectly placed in the City of London, just off of Fleet Street, making it an ideal stop as you work your way towards St Paul’s Cathedral, the Southbank or Covent Garden.

The promenade theatre experience was inspired by 30 young people who researched the broadsheet collection, devised scenes and produced a 30 minute theatrical exploration alongside a director, writer and composer.