IF you think the drama is over at Southend United, think again!
The Shrimpers have fought hard on and off the pitch to survive an incredibly testing period.
But the twists and turns endured by supporters are now being turned into a stage show by the BA Acting and Community Theatre students at East 15.
And director Sarah Fielding first thought of the idea after watching Blues play at Roots Hall.
“I’ve been to other football matches but there was just something that struck me about the atmosphere at Roots Hall,” said Fielding.
“My partner’s family took me so I knew how much the club was loved by so many generations.
“I became more aware of the tensions surrounding the club and its future.
“But it had a real community feel to it and there was a real story to tell.
“The community were trying to take the power back and any story like that is always interesting to me.”
Cast members carried out research for the show by speaking to those right at the heart of the club’s community.
YouTubers, photographers and protestors are all portrayed alongside pub landlords, MP Anna Firth and the Echo’s long-serving Blues’ reporter Chris Phillips.
And Fielding feels having those opinions is what makes the show so appealing.
“It’s a show made from the people of Southend,” said Fielding.
“The voices in the show are pretty much all text from the interviews.
“It’s something about that which gives it an authenticity and it’s about reflecting people’s voices back at them in a way which helps them to see what they’ve achieved.”
Diarmaid Doherty plays the part of ‘a disrupter’ in the show.
And he sees it as telling the story of the supporters.
“We did a lot of interviews to get the content and that’s the beauty of our show,” said Doherty.
“It’s the fans telling their story and we want to do a good job of it because I think it’s for them.
“When you’ve been through all these things you feel low and that there’s no-one out there.
“But a show like this is saying we recognise it and that your opinions matter.
“We’re giving a voice to these people who for so long were silenced.”
And those sentiments were echoed by fellow cast member Jonny Allison who plays the role of a local journalist.
“We’re celebrating the voices of the community,” he said.
“It’s personal and to see the amount of care people have is brilliant.
“We want to show that personal aspect of it and how it affects so much more than football.”
And that was something which continued to come across during the pre-show research.
Darcy Hall, who plays the role of the landlady, said: “We asked similar questions to everyone and took the key points from them and the big moments.
“We used those voices and created a script with them.
“Now we’ve put them on stage.
“It’s the real voices of the real people which you don’t always see.”
’Death of a Chairman’ is on at the Clifftown Theatre in Southend between March 7 and 9.
Adult prices have been set at £12 while concessions are available.
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