"Welfare" by Abi Zakarian.

Derby Theatre.

Derby Theatre has transformed into the site of The Derbyshire Miners’ Holiday Camp in Skegness, where miners went to convalesce, and later to holiday, as it was turned into a holiday camp for Derbyshire miners and their families.

The camp at Skegness was opened in May 1939, to provide an annual holiday for Derbyshire coal miners and their families. It was seen as a pioneering venture and was part of a broad range of welfare benefits provided by a national Miners' Welfare Scheme established in the 1920s. The camp enabled miners and their families to have a week's holiday by the sea, many for the first time. Its creation owed much to the campaigning work of the trades union, the Derbyshire Miners' Association and, in particular, to the inspiration of Henry Hicken, one of the Derbyshire Miners' leaders. The Skegness camp finally closed in the late 1990s, coinciding with the demise of the British coal mining industry.

For many of the miners and their families, a week at the camp at Skegness was their first holiday away from home and, for some, the first time they had seen the sea.

As you walk through the doors of the theatre you're greeted by a brass band ( The Derwent Brass ) as well as other performers roaming around the theatre telling jokes and handing out bingo cards and pens, and showing people to their seats. The chairs and tables right at the front complete with table cloths and lamps ready for customers to get up close and personal with the performers and entertainers, cabaret style.

The show was completely different to what I'd expected. It started in a dilapidated hall at the entertainment centre at the holiday camp.  Kat, a young girl with a camera, has broken in and is taking pictures, the reason for this is explained further down the line. But she is not alone. 

Enter Bob, who used to be known as Bingo Bob, one of the camp entertainers and resident Bingo Caller. They strike up a friendship after Bob discovers the real reason that she has broken in, and from there on, we are taken on a trip back in time, which is also where the game of bingo comes in, and lasts for the whole show.

Through flashbacks we are told the story of the Welfare with scenes and musical numbers.

This is another fantastic ensemble piece of theatre with the actors all taking on different roles to tell the story from 1934 to the present day. As you'd expect, with the thread running through being of an entertainment theme, there are some wonderful sing a long moments, energetic dance sections, from Jive, Charleston, Boogie through to The Hustle and an entertaining take on Frankie Goes To Hollywood's "Two Tribes", but instead of the fighters being Reagan and Gorbachev, it's a battle between Thatcher and Scargill, represented by a pair of pugilists.

As well as this style of entertainment, the play also touches on the racism that was rife in the 1970's that crept into the dancefloors and entertainment centres of the time.

Olivia Egbunike (Everine), Mya Fox-Scott (Angelica), Oraine Johnson (Fitzalbert), Andrew Westfield (Joseph), Hanna Winter (Zofia), 

Tiana Maria Harrison (Kat), comes from a local mining family, makes her professional debut in this show. This is a big role for a professional debut, but you would never have guessed that this was a debut performance due to the passion in her performance.

John Holt-Roberts (Jack/Henry), who I can remember being in the stage production of "Kes", one of my favourite books, at Derby Theatre.

Jo Mousley (Patty), who Derby Theatre attendees will remember from "Brassed Off" last year.

Bingo Bob is played by Ivan Stott. This role is that of the narrator as well as dashing around entertaining the characters onstage and the audience offstage, as well as revealing the bingo numbers that have so much more meaning than anything you'd hear in a modern day Gala establishment. Being a former mobile DJ of the 70's/80's/90's and Noughties, I obviously have to mention Ivan's role as the mobile disc spinner. Oh yes, I was loving his emphasised DJ style.

Local lad Rhys Wild doubles up as Thomas and Danny. A very credible lead who can bust a retro groove into the bargain.

The main actors interact with each other over the ninety years covered by this story in several guises and many costume changes.

There's also a big Community Ensemble employed in this production which really gives you the feel of being part of a working holiday camp, often lining the steps of the theatre leading down to the stage, dancing, singing and encouraging people to have the best times of their lives.

The Ensemble are Charlotte Bennett, Samantha Bosworth, Ali Bramwell, Gregory Butler, Bwalya Case, Philip Cox, Kal Singh Dhindsa, Hermoine Fowell, Drew Green, Bry Griffiths, Alfie Handford, Abena Halliday-Fox, Adrees Hussain, Shannon John, Libby Kenyon, Andi Parkin, Heather Slonimski, Iyisha Williams and Kirsty Williams. There's also a Young Company of Esme Carpenter, Jennifer Salt, Candice Condon and Georgia Snyders.

The wonderful sound of The Derwent Brass provide that evocative feel of Derbyshire and the mining community through the ages.

Directed by Sarah Brigham and any regular theatre goer at Derby Theatre will know Sarah's work as a Director. Sarah is assisted in Directing duties by Laura Ryder.

The Musical Director and Sound Designer is Kelvin Towse. In the second act there was a lovely slice of Billy Bragg style union song, also backed by The Derwent Brass, but bringing the feel of the 1980's back to life

The set and costumes have both been designed by Neil Irish. There are some great costumes that immediately show the era depicted at the time and the various family generations. The stylish suits of the 1930's/1940's and those retro 1970's disco outfits, big moustaches, big wigs and big heels, and that mobile disco unit all looked fantastic; you could almost smell the Seventies from the auditorium.

Arnim Friess is the Lighting Designer. Creating many moods, from the dark and dusty initial scenes via the big band brightness to the colourful Saturday Night Fever style atmosphere.

Jon Beney is the Movement Director, which worked really well, especially in the slow motion boxing scenes as well as that wonderfully choreographed mass for "The Hustle", where some of the audience were also invited up on stage for a boogie to Van McCoy.

Helping get the accents spot on is Voice Coach Anita Gilbert. Oh yes, I love an accent or two in a play, and I know just how difficult the Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire accent is to pull off, especially for actors not from our area. I found it really hard to spot actors who are not local to the area because the accents were excellent, as were the non local dialects.

This show is more of an experience than a theatre show because you can book a table at the front of the stage, almost like a cabaret, and gorge on fish and chips and pub snacks and drinks while doing so. these though do need to be ordered separately prior to the show starting.

As I mentioned earlier, this production was very different to anything that I had expected, because I had not expected a history lesson like this. It's brilliant fun, entertaining as well as an education. Great live music performed on stage and some excellent character acting.

"Welfare" is at Derby Theatre until Saturday 12 October.