Testimonials
A subtly political, brilliantly satirical, movingly performed love letter to our hometown.
James Dacre, Artistic Director Royal & Derngate
60 Miles by Road or Rail is a really brilliant play. Thought provoking, emotional, humorous and thoroughly entertaining. It is social history theatre at its best as it contemplates how an expanding town like Northampton changed dramatically over 50 years and the impact this change had on its people – both the bewildered indigenous Northamptonians and the new arrivals from London enticed by space, countryside and new housing. It was brilliantly written, produced, directed and acted and made my wife and I (both who came from the North to Northampton many years ago, left and came back) think and appreciate this eccentric old town, much abused by developers, town planners and politicians, just a little bit more than we ever have done. Bravo to all concerned, it was one of the best theatrical experiences I’ve had in a long time.
Audience Member
It was great being interviewed by Subika when she was researching how my family first settled in Northampton in the 1970s. My parents moved here from London where I was born along with my siblings. The interview process brought up some joyful memories along with some challenging memories too. Northampton is home and a great place to live! It has provided me with both stability and security throughout my life. I’ve traveled all over the world yet, Northampton is where I feel home. It’s rewarding and meaningful to review your life and experiences via an empathic and interested researcher/writer. Thank you!
Hometown Participant
Excellent resource, rich archive of an artistic place based performance of Northamptonshire from a dynamic theatre collective.
Dr Marcella Daye
We have all been touched and inspired by this project. We have been given the chance to express ourselves, share our knowledge and recollections, and perhaps for me most importantly, learned from each other. I like to think that the people who listen to our audio piece will gain a greater understanding of our collective ‘Hometown’ and also reflect on the town that they call home.
HOMETOWN PARTICIPANT
The excellent performance focused several hundred folk to think and reflect on their sense of place and relationship with their locale.
Audience Member
Congratulations to everyone involved in this excellent play. Very well done, in every respect. We enjoyed it very much and wish it could have more performances to reach more people – but delighted to be part of a full house in the lovely Royal Theatre.
Audience Member
Big shout out to the 60 Miles teams for investing in local talent and demonstrating work can be created at scale with and for the local community. The Civic Duty of Theatre in action.
Christopher Elmer-Gorry, Artistic Director of Warts & All Theatre
A funny and intelligent take on the new town heritage of Northampton.
Audience Member
If you haven’t yet seen 60 Miles by Rail or Road I emplore you to do so! The performance this evening was a thrilling story of Northampton. It taught me so much and has made me fall in love with the town all over again!
Audience Member
Really loved 60 Miles last night at Royal & Derngate. The themes are SO relevant to Northampton today!
Laura Graham, The Happy Hood Founder
What a fabulous show this was, so much local talent in Northampton!
Audience Member
Very informative. Makes you think and appreciate the town and history. Fun for all ages. Well thought out with friendly staff.
Heritage Open Days Participant
This was so fun! Lovely to see what happened in Northampton before I was born! Fab!
Heritage Open Days Particiapnt
I enjoyed the experience to recall many first hand experiences through this expansion of Northampton from the eastern side of Northampton.
Oral History Interviewer
Stylistically, it felt very fresh and very new and it was making choices and decisions that I hadn’t seen on that stage before.
Audience Member
I was delighted to be part of this project and have the opportunity to meet people who were very involved with the eastern development. It is so important to record and preserve the wonderful memories and perceptions of how Northampton was impacted then and is still now to some extent.
Oral History Participant
Absolutely loved it. It was so nostalgic and relevant to any Northamptononian. You also managed to cover so many current issues whilst telling a story most people don’t know. I definitely had a little cry at the end. It was my partner’s first time in a theatre!
Audience Member
This was my work highlight of 2021. Listening to Chris was such a privilege and working with 60 Miles was a joy.