'Thought-provoking' play by Riot Act Theatre conjurs up presence of Knaresborough's historic figure Blind Jack

What a night as Knaresborough was enthralled by a new Riot Act Theatre production which took the 30 or so brave enough to turn out on an evening when the ‘heavens opened’ for the first time in months.

Still, despite the rain, the actors and team all rose to the occasion, presenting a truly haunting production of Blind Jack’s Last Road which did the FEVA Festival proud.

We were looked after and guided round the outside event in the atmospheric darkness by the new Riot Act Theatre team who are based in Harrogate and Knaresborough.

Starting off by the George A Moore Gate at 9.15pm near the Mitre Pub, we were guided up the road by the train station and round the corner which led to the road down to St John The Baptist Church.

At various ‘stopping points’ the actors took us back to an age where roads were scarce and people did not travel far from where they lived in the countryside.

The interaction and questioning between the actors was intense and thought provoking.

We walked round the church and up into the graveyard.

Music from a fiddle greeted us as we walked slowly through.

You could feel Blind Jack’s presence.

Guided safely by the Riot Act team we came upon an area that was lit up by candles and lights.

The next 30 minutes was full of the actor’s questioning each other about why they were actually there in that precise moment back in time.

Dressed for the occasion they rose to the challenge and made those present go back and appreciate what it was like to live in the 18th century.

The weather did not take away from the event it actually made it more realistic.

As Jack walked away down through the graveyard and disappeared the Beatles song The Long and Winding Road came into my head.

Jack Metcalf was born on August 15th 1717 and brought up in his family cottage on the other side of the wall from the graveyard.

At the age of six he survived small pox but lost his sight.

The next 86 years saw Jack accomplish more than most sighted people.

Our pioneer road builder from Knaresborough was followed by Telford and McAdam who adapted Jack’s techniques into their own roads. Jack was a trend setter and last nights outdoor production reflected this in so many ways.

Several years ago the road and pavement along Church Lane was a pothole mess.

It was the nearest roadway to where Jack Metcalf was born.

As that six-year-old recovering from being made blind due to smallpox he took his first steps along here.

Several local forwarding-thinking individuals raised the funding required to get Church Lane resurfaced and, no doubt, Jack would have been looking down with a huge smile on his face.

Thank you to the Riot Act Theatre Production Team for bringing Jack Metcalf back to life with a thought-provoking performance.