In 2011, five fishermen on the Isle of Wight (Jamie Green, Jon Beere, Daniel Payne, Scott Birtwistle & Zoran Dresic) were sentenced to a total of 104 years for conspiracy to import £53m worth of cocaine. They have always professed their innocence.
Inspired by the wildly popular Guardian Today in Focus 6-part podcast series of the same name, Liam Patrick Harrison’s stageplay, produced by the award-winning production company Deadman (Artistic Director Samuel Bossman), launches a detailed and rich theatrical investigation into the men’s tragic downfall.
Through spectacular storytelling, verbatim accounts, inventive stagecraft, poetry and song, the South Coast cast delves into subjects of classical & contemporary smuggling, deteriorating coastal communities, immigration and folklore interwoven through this ancient profession.
Deadman is an award-winning Working / Precarious Class-led theatre & film company who’s work has been presented on stages across the South Coast as well as international film festivals. The company and ensemble are dedicated to staging contemporary & captivating local narratives – for and from Britain’s unheard and underserved coastal communities.
Important information
Running time:
60-70 mins approx
Age guideline:
12+
Content information will become available for this production soon.
Please note – most of our productions feature flashing lights and loud sounds.
If you require this information prior to booking, please check back for updates or call our Box Office on 01752 267222
Environmental Strategy
Our environmental strategy is incredibly important to our work. As we know, the climate crisis will impact everything, and we all have a role to play. The Freshwater Five is a coastal story and we know that those communities will be most effected by the crisis. Hailing from the Isle of Wight, we want to make the biggest difference we can.
All of our props and set is either reclaimed, upcycled or recycled. The chain of our keystone anchor is upcycled hose, one of our seats is a repurposed old lobster pot. Our rope, nets were reclaimed from the beach. At the end of the activity, it will be donated to Plymouth Scrapstore to again be reused. During rehearsals, we were able to carpool or either take public transport or carbon-free transport. The whole team sat down and took part in Julie’s Bicycle workshop on sustainable touring.