Dover Arts Development is proud to be working with The Marlowe in Canterbury on Phase 1 of Return of the Unknown, a project which explores how World War One is commemorated across five towns in Kent: what we remember, how we remember and what is forgotten.

At Armistice, we promised ‘We Will Remember Them’ yet, as WWI slips from living memory, have we lost focus on the lessons we were never to forget? 

Return of the Unknown’ is an 18-month participatory performance project led by The Marlowe Theatre to interrogate, evaluate and deepen understanding of remembrance and its rituals. We will challenge the limits of cultural memory, seeking to discover what WW1 means to us today and revealing what we have forgotten, returning the Unknown to public consciousness. 

Using participatory arts as research, this inter-generational project brings together disparate groups with a professional creative team, to create a ‘disrupted pageant’ that will reshape our understanding of remembrance. (The Marlowe)

Phase one in Dover brings together students and adult participants to explore these themes together through drama culminating in a stage performance at the Duke of Yorks Royal Military School in November 2017. A series of workshops in June are being led by Sarah Davies which involve an exploration of different ways of presenting stage performances, sharing knowledge and family histories relating to WW1 in preparation for the creation of a powerful piece of drama. After the summer break, during which the play will be written by Michele Sheldon and Sarah, rehearsals will take place in the months leading up to the performance at Dover Castle.