Members of Salford Community Theatre finally got to see their hard work pay off as they attended The Working Class Movement Library to celebrate the launch of their audio play, The Salford Docker.

Years in the making, the story of Salford’s workplace injustice during the 50s and 70s displays a familiar lifestyle for many Salfordians.

The play is based on a mixture of archive material of interviews from the Dockers mixed with a fictional narrative to tell the story.

Co director, Sarah Watson: “It’s quite relevant because it looks at the docks, it looks at what the docks have become and the neighborhood of the area of Ordsall, looking at the histroy of that area.

“The narrative is fictional but the characters and the events are inspired by real things.

Co-director, Steph Green said: “It’s been adapted from a stage play, it’s a streamlined event of that story.

Christopher John Cunningham and Dolores Santos / Credit: Natalie Jeppesen

“Essentially its a family at the core of it and we start in the present day with a radio journalist called Anna who we think works at modern day MediaCity.

“Anna sort of looks back through her interest in the docks and her family and we follow her looking back through the memories.”

The recording of the play has provided a space for many of Salford’s residents to come together and try something new.

Many of the cast have never acted or performed before and joining the community theatre group allowed them a safe space to try out a new hobby as well as form friendships and learn about the history of their city.

Cast member, Christopher John Cummingham, who plays Killer Martin and Frank Allaun said: “If you’ve ever been scared of public speaking, the people who’ve done well in the play who’ve never done anything like this before have put in the time and coaching to overcome it.

“If you’ve never done anything such as acting before, get involved with the community theatre.”

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