Design and branding: twentysevendesign.co.uk
Maps and records from the early 19th Century suggest that a travelling circus spent the winter months on the edge of Stockton town centre, near what is now West Row. In 2012, as Stockton Council commenced work on a multi-million pound refurbishment of the town’s High Street, the idea emerged of a story that might form the basis of a street theatre show. Sara Maitland,
short story writer and novelist, was invited to produce a work which took as its start point the invention of the friction match by John Walker in 1829. The commissioned work, Instant Light, tells the story of John Walker’s invention of the friction match and woven through it the magic of the circus to create a mythical version of how SIRF may have come about. Our story starts on Thursday 30th July when the circus troupe arrives in Stockton by boat to be welcomed by a jubilant crowd.
YOUR GUIDE TO FOUR AMAZING DAYS 30 JULY – 2 AUGUST
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In 1829 chemist John Walker, from Stockton-on-Tees, invented the friction match.
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SIRF15 is presented and produced by Stockton Borough Council with financial support from Arts Council England
Instant Light
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