Vickie Donoghue commemorates the 70th anniversary of a flood that hit Canvey Island and reflects on what the tragedy taught us. When the incident happened on the evening of 31 January 1953, there was no emergency plans in place and this lead to many incidents. ‘The Flood highlights one of these catastrophes and the 58 fatalities that occurred on Canvey Island in Essex.
The staging was excellent, and it was fantastic how they turned the stage throughout each scene. This made it feasible to have various scenarios, each side of which was focused more intently on the distinct cast, and each set of players appearing from their respective location. Characters from 1953, 2013, and 2053 are beautifully shown in the clothes, which were designed by Khadija Razar.
The cast of the production is large and diverse, with 20 Performing Arts students from New City College’s Ardleigh Green campus making up the late-teens ensemble and 18 adults making up the elder ensemble. The New City College Ensemble was created as a result of the ongoing partnership between the college and theatre that was started in May 2022. The entire evening demonstrated the tremendous talent present in (and around) Havering and made me feel proud of our neighbourhood.
The evening is dominated by the flood crisis and how it will affect both the present and the future. This topic sounds simple, but “The Flood” reminds us that the seemingly far-off events are likely to have had an impact on all of us
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