Produced by Doff Pollard of Village Arts, a compilation tape of clips that were shown at the charities Annual General Meetings (AGM) between 1982 and 1986 showcasing some of the community-based arts activities put on by Village Arts around East Cleveland. Title: Village Arts AGM and Opening Evening Thursday 13th May 7.30pm North Skelton Village Hall A compilation of community arts activities put on by Village Arts across East Cleveland during the first year of its operation in 1982. In a...

Produced by Doff Pollard of Village Arts, a compilation tape of clips that were shown at the charities Annual General Meetings (AGM) between 1982 and 1986 showcasing some of the community-based arts activities put on by Village Arts around East Cleveland. Title: Village Arts AGM and Opening Evening Thursday 13th May 7.30pm North Skelton Village Hall A compilation of community arts activities put on by Village Arts across East Cleveland during the first year of its operation in 1982. In a school yard at Loftus children perform a piece of theatre related to spring featuring two handmade giant puppets of full-length figures controlled by strings attached to all four limbs of the puppet. They are accompanied by a man playing on a set of homemade percussion instruments and at the end a choir singing. As part of the opening of Skinningrove Community Centre children from a local school perform for a crowd various skills they have learned during a circus school they have attended. Sitting on the floor in front of a watching audience they sing a song about the circus accompanied by a man on guitar. Most of the children are wearing clown makeup. Following the song, they perform juggling and gymnastic routines for the audience ending of two children throwing clown pies into each of their faces much to the amusement of the audience. Title: Women Live May ‘82 A months Celebration of the Creative Work of Women A phantom car ride following a Morris Minor van as it travels into a village in East Cleveland. Pulling up near a green the film changes to a group of women and girls performing a traditional folk dance around a maypole to help publicise ‘Women Live’ events. The van travels to another village where the women work together to set up the maypole and perform again accompanied by a man playing an accordion. Title: Village Arts Annual General Meeting at 7.30pm North Skelton Village Hall 26th May A second compilation of community arts activities put on by Village Arts across East Cleveland during 1983 begins with a summer playscheme at Carlin How with local children working with a local theatre company who put on a participatory performance to do with the fishing followed by them working with the children to make kites which are then flown outside in a field. As part of the Staithes Smugglers Project two men work on the beach building part of a stage while children arrive at a community centre with the head of a hobby horse. A parade through the village featuring several men dressed as hobby horses with the children following behind banging drums. Several giant puppets also form part of the procession. In the harbour two small fishing boats with two of the giant puppets in them coming into land on the beach. A scene from a theatrical performance takes place on the beach involving both the giant puppets as well as those on hobby horses that also features some local children. In the window of a house at Skinningrove a poster advertising a ‘Guy Fawkes Festival’ changes to the beach where several local people work to build a themed bonfire. A montage of still images shows the bonfire itself and people enjoying themselves. A hand-made sign reads ‘Visit Father Christmas Today’ changes to a man dressed as an Elf standing in the doorway of a house or building. A woman and her two small children arrive, inside the children sit on the knees of a man dressed as Santa Claus. After the children leave Santa waves at the camera outside on the street. Newcastle United footballer Kevin Keegan arrives at the new community centre at Boosbeck and is swamped by fans. He signs autographs both outside and inside the new hall. A group of children sing a song followed by a shadow puppet performance relating to mining. Several giant puppets being worked on by artists either being building or painting. They are paraded along a street accompanied by a brass band into a field where a theatrical performance is given using said giant puppets at the end of which they are burned. Inside Marske Leisure Centre a group of young men play fight before sitting on the ground outside a shop on a shopping precinct. Doff Pollard conducts a vox pop with several local people asking if they feel afraid of these men ‘hanging around’. No one asked states they have any concerns. At Boobeck possibly around Margrove Ponds three local men go rabbiting with two small terrier dogs. At Skelton Impasse several young men speak with Doff about the challenges they face being unemployed and how they would like to change their situation. Around a table members of the Carlin How Exhibition Group look over old photographs of the village changes to one of them standing outside the Maynard Arms public house looking at an old photograph and explaining how the street has changed. In a room several older men and women tell stories of the village in the past. In Middlesbrough the Cleveland Band Collective silk-screen printing weekend with men and women working to produce screen prints changes to a woman who introduces Carlin How Exhibition on Times Past in May 1983. Inside a hall as a representative of Loftus Town Council makes a speech about donating money to the group, as he speaks to a large crowd wondering around looking at display board, reading archives or looking through albums of old photographs. Title: Village Arts Annual General Meeting A brass band leading a procession through the village of Charltons that features two women and a small child ride a horse-drawn wagon with a banner attached to it that reads ‘Miss Lockwood.’ Following behind two giant puppets of a man and woman passes by plus someone dressed as the Michelin Man. Several children with clown makeup on crowd around the camera, nearby two others walk with assistance on circus stilts. On the floor five homemade face masks changes to two boys in a hall, one dressed like a wizard with a pointed hat and fake beard. Someone playing with the video effects on the camera and a woman with a camera in a hall smiles. Outside a group of children help to paint a mural on a wall. Title: Community Celebrations A Tyne Tees Television film crew record a group of people outside a community centre, one is dressed as a town crier. A group of people working on several giant puppets both inside and outside a hall while in a kitchen area a cake is being decorated. The procession through Charltons continues with a marching brass band at the front. A montage of children making masks and what appears to be a bonfire being build changes to the brass band performing for an audience in hall. Another procession along a terraced street again featuring a brass band but with different giant puppets. A group of youths walk along a street and into a hall, some are carrying guitars. Outside in an alleyway a theatrical performance by a group of children about the dangers of smoking cigarettes. Another possible performance this time featuring two older boys firing an airgun at a couple walking past through a derelict area. Tite: Playscheme Inside a local community centre a woman in clown makeup leads a circus school. Children perform forward-rolls on a mat while outside they are given instruction in juggling, walking on stilts and play with hoops. Back inside they give a performance to a seated audience, some wearing homemade costumes. Title: Training Buds on a tree and a bubble in a nearby river or pond. Title: Water Ways Several ducks on or around a stream change to waves lapping on a beach. Credit: Camera and Editing Paul Campbell, Steve Robinson, Cilla March Advisors Doff Pollard, Steve Robinson A video effect is laid over the image of children or young people working with a video camera in a hall. In another room print screen workshop. Title: Support to Groups In a school playground a group of children and adults work together to produce a large mural on a wall. On a beach believed to be at Skinningrove a group of men build a castle structure from wood, in voiceover a commentary gives a description of the work being done. In a hall a group of children dance around wearing large paper mâché mask followed by them leaving the hall and parading through the village at night carrying several giant puppets, some of which are lit up from inside. The sequence ends on a large bonfire. Title: Video Work with East Cleveland Y.T.S. A teenage boy talks about wanting to be gardener and then a bricklayer changes to another teenage boy’s work in a greenhouse filling pots with earth and a third boy cutting down a small evergreen tree or sapling. Title: May Celebrations at North Skelton In a community hall people work to make giant puppets followed by them being used to dance to music. A man in a Karate outfit uses his fist to smash a wooden board changes to a parade through North Skelton of the giant puppets seen previous marching behind a brass band. Title: Maypole Dance To a man playing the accordion a group teenage girls dance around a maypole at several locations in East Cleveland. End title: Village Arts Annual General Meeting