Published: 11 Oct 2017
South Canterbury Museum is trying something new to ensure everyone gets the opportunity to see their event marking the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.
As part of its Hell Let Loose exhibition about life in the trenches, the Museum is presenting a one woman play by Glenys Whittington. In a first for the Timaru District Council, the event will also be streamed on Facebook Live, where anyone in the world can watch.
The play tells the story of Glenys’ Grandfather Harry Osborne, who on October 4, 1917, Osborne marked his 24th birthday at Passchendaele in Belgium, the day during World War I known as the Battle of Broodseinde when 350 New Zealanders died fighting.
The story of Osborne's life has been captured by Whittington, through his war diaries, in a one-person play, which she will present at the South Canterbury Museum from October 11 to 13.
She says the production is a tribute to her grandfather and other South Canterbury men. It also marks the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele.
South Canterbury Museum Director, Philip Howe said that they had been amazed at the level of support for the event.
“As our whole seating allocation for the three nights was exhausted we were thinking of ways we could ensure that anyone who wanted to see the play could still see it.
“We thought there was no better time to try out this new technology, which will now allow anyone, anywhere to see what will be a great event, and Glenys has graciously agreed to be part of it.
“This is very much an experiment for us, so we can make no guarantees of the quality of the broadcast, or whether it will actually work on the night but we thought that it’s important that we keep innovating and trying new ways of extending the reach of the museum outside the walls of the building.”
In Flanders Fields Passchendaele: Swear You'll Never Forget will be streaming on the South Canterbury Museum Facebook page www.facebook.com/scmuseum from 7.30pm on Thursday 12 October.
Last updated: 24 Feb 2021