A Community Changed - Mandy Norman

Please tell us about yourself.
I work as a performing artist/ tutor and have just set up a new heritage drama/community theatre company. I regularly do heritage/historical workshops in schools and worth with a cross section of community groups. I also like drama as a therapy and am studying further in this field at the moment.

What's your story about?
The community I came from was a coal-mining community. As the pits were closed, the community changed. Great losses were felt for a long time.
In Newcastle I found a way to express myself - theatre. I became an actress/theatre worker.
I now work in Whitehaven, teaching children about history through drama.

Why did you choose to tell this particular story?
It has a major impact on my life, and my background was coal-mining. All my relations worked in the pits and my Granda was killed in the last big disaster of Whitehaven that affected the community.

What was the experience of making your digital story like?
Great - interesting, fun and exciting.

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