‘Celebration and pride’: Come find out all about Chol’s brand new show and Ella’s Peas at Pollen Market

This March, Chol Theatre presented a brand new-theatre performance, The Mysterious Case of the Missing Mushy Peas Recipe. Co-created and performed by Year 5 of Parsons Cross C of E…

This March, Chol Theatre presented a brand new-theatre performance, The Mysterious Case of the Missing Mushy Peas Recipe. Co-created and performed by Year 5 of Parsons Cross C of E Primary School, the show celebrated the fascinating life and legacy of Ella Hudson-Gasking and the workers of the Batchelor’s Pea Factory.

Just like the plot of the show – where the Batchelor’s Factory community worked together to recover a stolen mushy pea recipe – this show came together through pure teamwork: Sheffield Libraries and Ella’s Archive Group collected oral histories and researched the lives of Batchelor’s Factory workers; the talented musicians from Sheffield Music School created original songs for the show; Barra Organics worked with local schools to grow peas and celebrate Sheffield’s food heritage; and the Year 5s of Parsons Cross School took all this magic and, with the help of Chol and their teachers, created a showstopping musical mystery show.

The children put on two dazzling performances, in front of their classmates in Parsons Cross Primary School and their parents and families at Chilypep Southey Green hub. The show was the first ever performance in the newly opened young people’s empowerment space! As Carly-Ann Clarke, our Community Theatre and Arts Lead, said:

One of the children performing said:

“There was so much celebration and pride in the children, the Chol team, and Sheffield Music School as we came together to share this co-created mighty and magic story of Ella Hudson Gasking and our play: The Mysterious Case of the Missing Mushy Peas Recipe. It was a full house in the audience at Chilypep and we all learned so much from one another.”

“Thank you so much for making me feel confident doing a play on stage, even in front of the adults.”

If you want to find out all about the hidden stories uncovered and art created during The Mysterious Case of the Missing Mushy Peas Recipe, come to the next Pollen Inner-City Flower Market, in May. Chol will be there, hosting an exciting exhibition, showing you the magic of Ella’s Peas, our year-long project, funded by The National Lottery Heritage Fund, which celebrates Sheffield food and factory heritage. Come find us on Sunday 18^th May at Pollen Market, Grey to Green, Castlegate, S3 8LB.