Bypass activists head to West Berkshire theatre

The Watermill on Tour: Camp Albion, reviewed at Aldworth, by arts editor TRISH LEE. It opens at The Watermill on Wednesday (July 6) and runs to Saturday, July 16.

Back in the early 90s, Newbury knew little of eco-activists or the looming climate crisis and lentils were loony food. What it did know about was terrible traffic congestion.

It seems unbelievable now that you could sit for a couple of hours waiting to pass through town on the main artery north. So when various bypass options were mooted, they were initially greeted with enthusiasm... until the chosen route turned out to be the least acceptable to many, cutting through swathes of ancient woodland, areas of SSI, precious water courses – the very definition of the beauty and identity of Newbury’s countryside.

The community was bitterly divided and as the monstrous clearance machines moved in, local people joined the ‘ecowarriors’ in the ‘Third Battle of Newbury’, an attempt to protect those sacred trees, flora and fauna, to hold up their brutal destruction, through 35 camps, tree houses, a network of tunnels and organised protest.

The national media spotlight was well and truly on Newbury.

Although united in conflict, the bypass protesters were as individual as their reasons for being there.

Set in 1996 in a fictional camp, with The Watermill’s trademark actor/musicians, writer Danielle Pearson’s Camp Albion examines this through three personal stories: Cassie, a somewhat naive university student, played with youthful enthusiasm by Hannah Brown. She comes to the camp to video the protest and gets drawn into activism as her relationship develops with Dylan, played by Joe Swift (who admits that on landing the part he had to ask his parents in Basingstoke if the bypass protest really had been a big thing).

He represents the beginnings of future climate anxiety that now widely affects young people’s mental health. He scorns Cassie’s commitment – accusing her of just being there for the story – able at any time to beam back to her ‘privileged’ life. For him, this is home, he lives his beliefs.

But activism comes at a personal cost as Cassie learns when her relationship with mother breaks down, their views entrenched on opposing sides.

Kate Russell-Smith doubles as Cassie’s mother Viv and puts in a robust, witty performance as the seasoned lifelong activist Foxglove Sue.

Light relief too, in the appearance of the iconic pantomime cow – yes, it really was a thing, arrested for trespass.

Running through the piece, giving it context, is live and recorded music, with apposite lyrics from back in the day – like Oasis’ Don’t Look Back in Anger, Nirvana’s Smells like Teen Spirit and Bob Dylan’s poetic rallying call The Times They are A-Changing. A soundtrack, too, evokes the increasing menace of approaching chainsaws and voices raised in resistence.

With Isobel Nicolson’s clever set packed into a couple of vans, the company have been touring outdoor performances of Camp Albion to rural venues before a run in The Watermill auditorium from July 6-16.

The theatre and Bagnor village itself was one of the places most affected by the construction and protests, indeed people assumed the theatre was closed for the duration, so it was good to see a piece reflecting of those emotional times in the programme by then artistic director the late Jill Fraser. I think about them each time we pass under that hideous concrete bridge by the turn-off to the theatre.

Jill would have approved of this production – it’s a snapshot in time, a ‘conversation’ that tells some of the story.