Discovering Antarctica: Heroic tales of Shackleton, Crean and Scott; at the Wharf Theatre for Devizes Arts Festival

John Winterton

For the first time in a great number of years the Wharf Theatre was host to a show in this year’s Devizes Arts Festival. Unlike a number of other shows in this year’s programme, this one was sold out, and quite early on, so did the good people of Devizes have prior knowledge of this show?

Aidan Dooley’s one-man show about discovering Antarctica from the perspective of Tom Crean are stories of adventures with both Scott and Shackleton, which if my basic recollection of history is anywhere near accurate, would be both a unique and fascinating tale.

On entering the theatre the sounds of the arctic winds were the only noise, and although initially sounding like sea, maybe both, along with the stage littered with all manner of items and clothing you may have needed for an expedition lit with a nighttime rich blue highlighted with a small warm glow, it set the scene for the upcoming tales. 

Aidan came onto the stage and with a rich Irish accent introduced us to Tom, and the apparel that any good arctic explorer would have with him at the turn of the last century. With a witty, chatty delivery you very quickly felt like Tom was talking as if either to an assembly of wide-eyed children or to a group of acquaintances in a local bar, sometimes more like one, then moving to the other.

You did, however, feel he was talking to you, telling you his story, letting you into his world of cold and wind. A world where crying with your head down is given away by the steam from your tears, a world where working with too many layers on would make you sweat only for it to freeze should you then stop working and cool down any. For those that went with him we were treated to stories about being left out of the five who would attempt to reach the South Pole because of a cough, a cough that was to prove fortuitous as those who did not go on were sent back along the supply route to the base camp, even if they did go slightly in the wrong way back resulting in a very well described ride on a sled down a hill, quite a steep hill at that. 

Aidan totally embodies Tom, so much so that you forget that they are not his stories that he is telling you. Stories that carried you through the hour and a half as if it was only a matter of minutes. I genuinely was lost in the story telling and would not have been surprised if on leaving the theatre we were feet deep in snow and surrounded by penguins.

An evening well spent and testament to the hard work obviously put into the research put into the script and the characterisation of Tom, by Aidan. 

A great find by the Devizes Arts Festival and well worthy of the full house. 

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  1. Pingback: Devizes Arts Festival Rules, OK?! – devizine.com

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