Dancing With Auntie

You may have heard that we all have a novel, play or song inside us just bursting to come out. This suggests an immediacy, a sense of urgency which, if ignored, will mean that the creative idea is never realised.

‘Dancing with Auntie’s’ gestation period easily outdates that of an elephant and hopefully will inspire others to turn memorable, distant events into performance art. The stimulus for this play has innocuous origins. The ‘family do’ was a regular part of my early life. It appeared as predictably as the seasons and, in my case, lightened the dismal northern winters as the family congregated to celebrate Christmas. I still have to smile as adults dismiss Christmas as a ‘great time for the kids’. It’s my belief that it’s a great time for the kid in all of us, regardless of age. And like children, adults are equally entitled to tantrums, moods and periods of idiosyncracy. ‘Dancing with Auntie’ is set in a working-class home in Manchester in 1967. What a great time to be young! The sixties were swinging, Manchester City was a formidable footballing force, and I was about to embark on a new life that would take me away from my roots. The play is all about relationships, hopes and dreams. It’s only with hindsight that I’ve felt able to use the memories of that Christmas as a catalyst for this show. I hope that you enjoy it.

Bill Cronshaw – November 2003.