FROM NEWBURY WITH LOVE

Girl scattering rose petal against a red background. From Newbury With Love

From Newbury With Love was adapted from the book of the same name by Anna Horsburgh-Porter and Marina Aidova. 

It tells the story of a 15-year exchange of letters between Newbury residents Harold and Olive Edwards and the Aidova family in Chisinau, Moldova. The play charts a fascinating period of social and political history during the cold war. 

Lisle Turner read the book whilst working for Amnesty International, associate publishers of the work. He then organised a reading of extracts from the book at the Human Right Action Centre in Shoreditch and Claire Coaché read the female voices. Turtle Key Arts secured the rights for the stage play. Lisle then travelled to Chisinau in Moldova to stay with the Aidova family and research the story in detail.

The project also included cultural exchange visits between 14-18 year olds from Newbury Youth Theatre and the Aleccu Russo School in Moldova. There was a digital written communication via Facebook between the young people and they also devised and performed a piece of theatre that was incorporated into the play.

From Newbury With Love premiered with a sold out run at the Corn Exchange, Newbury in 2011 to critical and audience acclaim.

The premiere performance was live streamed around the world via a satellite and performed in the presence of Marina, Lera and Slava Aidova and Harold and Olive’s children.

  • “A stunning and uplifting production, Claire Coaché gives us a masterclass in direction. Sure, innovative and full of so many superb touches."

    Newbury Weekly News

  • "The combination of tight direction, superbly economical script, amazing physical acting and fascinating staging fully held my interest and my emotions and I'm not ashamed to say that at times I wept. The revelation of the difficulties and horror faced by Lera, Vyacheslav and Marina in Moldova and the enormous comfort brought to them by letters from Harold and Olive in Newbury was humbling and gave one food for thought about the privileged lives we lead here in the west and how little we truly engage with the suffering of others."

    Amnesty International Reading Group

CAST

  • YNGVILD ASPELI

    LERA AIDOVA

  • ROBIN BERRY

    SLAVA AIDOVA

  • IDA (JACOBSEN) TINDESKOG

    MARINA AIDOVA

  • NICHOLAS LUMLEY

    HAROLD EDWARDS

  • ERIKA POOLE

    OLIVE EDWARDS

CREW

Directed by Claire Coaché 
Adapted by Lisle Turner from the book of the same name by Anna Horsburgh-Porter and Marina Aidova

Produced by Turtle Key Arts in association with the Corn Exchange Newbury
Set & Costume Designed by Tina Bicat & Kate Rigby
Lighting Designed by Aideen Malone
Dramaturgy by Ben Samuels

Youth Theatre
Directed by Sabina Netherclift & Oli Campbell-Smith
Sound Design by Shaun Dawson – Turtle Key Arts
Production Management by Alison King – Turtle Key Arts
Technical Management & Set Build by Nick Blower
Puppets designed by Yngvild Aspeli & created by the cast

Production Photography by Nik Mackey

SPECIAL THANKS to Marina Aidova.

From Newbury With Love was a commission by Corn Exchange Newbury and also funded by Arts Council England South-East, Esmee Fairbairn, Oxford University Press, Dillon Trust, West Berkshire Council and Berkshire Community Foundation, Grassroots Grants and the Youth Opportunity Fund.

WITH THANKS TO:

Newbury Youth Theatre
Polly Emberlin
Katrina Findlay
Tom Hamblin
Jenny Jones
Hester Kessling
Rob Lees
Alex Lonsdale
Martha Minall
Sarah Ramsay
Eloise Reayer
Blake Simons

Newbury Youth Theatre Staff
Robin Strapp
Amy Trigwell-Jones
Tony Trigwell-Jones

Aleccu Russo Lyceum

Olga Bondarenco
Irina Ceban
Anastasia Comardin
Maxim Cosciug
Veronica Efimenco
Margarita Grigorieva
Alexei Ivanenco
Alexandr Moiseev
Maria Nicipurenco
Anastasia Patranica
Vladislav Petrakovski

Aleccu Russo Lyceum Teachers

Irena Muntenau
Irene Savostenco