James Haddrell speaks on iconic storytellers and what unites them

Theatre is all about telling stories, and at Greenwich Theatre we love to support the work of some of the newest storytellers around.

Recent visitors to Greenwich showing an exceptional commitment to telling stories include Dougie Blaxland with Unknown, his tale of homelessness on the streets of this country and Hugh Salmon with First World War play Into Battle, the true story of class divide and national unity that has just completed an acclaimed run here in South London.

Early next year we are set to welcome Mark Farrelly back to Greenwich with Jarman, his celebration of the controversial visionary Derek Jarman, and local company Global Fusion Music and Arts with The Darkest Hours of Victory about the Queen’s discovery of her father’s death while on holiday in Kenya, and the subsequent war for independence in the country.

All of these storytellers are fighting against a barrage of theatre, television, radio and print to secure the attention of an audience, and many of the best stories inevitably fall by the wayside because they simply can’t make enough noise in such a crowded sector.

However, if there’s one thing that they can do to ensure that their tales are the best they can be, and stand the best chance of being heard and remembered, it’s to look back at the stories that have stayed with us and ask why.

Shakespeare, Dickens, Eliot, Orwell – the thing that unites all of the iconic writers whose voices echo down the decades, and even the centuries, the one thing that I think unites them, is that they all have something to say.

They all wrap up their messages in stories, of course, but they all have a view on society, injustice, inequality or human fallibility.

Shakespeare’s observations on everything from global politics to deep personal flaws, Dickens view of the injustice of poverty, Eliot’s sharp understanding of politics and her compassion for outsiders, Orwell’s rage at the misuse of power – all used their work as a vehicle to comment on the world around them, and their work is all the better for it.

This December we are set to welcome John O’Connor and European Arts Company back to Greenwich with their adaptation of Dickens’ A Christmas Carol.

With endless versions on film, television and stage, it’s easy to forget that the story is far more than a twinkly Christmas tale about a mean old villain who is redeemed by the festive season – but surely the reason the story has stayed with us for so long is its angry heart, its message about poverty and inequality.

As a reminder of that, European Arts Company’s version is stripped right back to the art of storytelling itself.

There are no snowy special effects or sleigh bells.

Instead, we will spend an evening in the presence of Dickens himself.

A Christmas Carol was the first public reading Dickens gave of his own work and he went on to tell the story to large audiences more than 150 times, so John O’Connor takes on the persona of Dickens to recreate one of those famous readings.

Anyone wanting to make a career telling stories today could do far worse than look back at the tales of Dickens, and a trip to see John O’Connor’s recreation offers the perfect reminder that whatever the tale you want to tell, if you want to be remembered, make sure you have something to say.

Pictured: John O’Connor takes on the persona of Dickens