A NEW play dedicated to the Women’s Royal Naval Service – affectionately known as the Wrens – drops anchor at Millgate Arts Centre, Delph on Friday, April 19.
All Hands On Deck, a production by Marsden based Mikron Theatre Company and hosted by Saddleworth Live, is a love story following the adventures of new WRNS recruits, Ginger and Lily.
Lily wants to serve on dry land, but Ginger is desperate to serve at sea. The sailors can’t believe their luck.
The show pays tribute to those wartime women who pushed the door to opportunity firmly open.
Full of dots, dashes, semaphore and song, Ginger and Lily find themselves in uncharted waters on a journey they will never forget.
Playwright and former Mikron actor, Vashti Maclachlan, who penned last year’s ‘Revolting Women’ has had a great time steering the ship on All Hands On Deck.
“It’s been an honour to shine a spotlight on the tireless women who gave their all to shape a Women’s Royal Navy Service fit for the future,” she said.
Marianne McNamara, Mikron’s Artistic Director and Director of this show, added: “I’ve always been interested in the Wrens.
“They’ve been suggested as an interesting subject matter by a number of audience members who were related to Wrens.
“There are plenty plays about the war but not that many that explore women’s contributions to the war.
“It’s been fascinating to research their story and to celebrate their endeavours.”
The Women’s Royal Naval Service or WRNS, first formed in 1917 for the First World War.
It was disbanded in 1919, then revived in 1939 at the beginning of the Second World War, remaining active until integrated into the Royal Navy in 1993.
WRNs included cooks, clerks, wireless telegraphists, radar plotters, weapons analysts, range assessors, electricians and air mechanics
Tickets for All Hands On Deck cost £13 (£11 for students up to the age of 21) . Bookings can be made in person, by phone or online.
The box office at Delph Library is open Tuesdays 2pm–5pm; Wednesdays, 2pm–7pm; Thursdays, 1pm-6pm and Fridays & Saturdays from 9:30am–1pm.
The box office telephone number is 01457 874644. Tickets must be paid for at the time of booking.
For more information on Mikron visit their website: www.mikron.org.uk or find them on Twitter: @mikrontheatre or Facebook: www.facebook.com/mikrontheatre
