Overview

“When I tell her different stories, she starts crying. She’ll say, “Grandma, why don’t you write a book?” I says, “Catherine Cookson wouldn’t have a job, if I wrote a book!”

After the war, Tyneside was a tough place to grow up, but among the bombsites and blackened buildings, the children experienced a freedom that is almost unimaginable today. From You to Me shares stories of post-war Tyneside from those who were there: the street games, dance halls, and Christmas stockings, but also the hunger and harsh discipline.

This verbatim show, where the actors speak the real words of the characters, provides a platform for voices often marginalised, and illustrates the richness of traditional Tyneside English. It presents the characters’ views on modern society and its values, offers valuable insights into the relationships between generations today, and shows that the Tyneside dialect is as diverse as its people.

With all the progress experienced through the second half of the 20th Century and a refusal to ‘be old’, were ultimately these baby boomers the luckiest generation of all? They certainly didn’t all have their Tyneside accent knocked out of them.

From You to Me is a collaborative project between Newcastle and Northumbria University. Based on research that explores language variation among Tynesiders aged 70+, From You to Me uses the verbatim theatre’s ‘Recorded Delivery’ method to illustrate and celebrate this variation.

With thanks to Newcastle University, Northumbria University, and Alphabetti Theatre.