60 Miles by Road or Rail

by Ryan Leder

Royal & Derngate, Northampton 2021

“How can Northampton become a New Town? It’s been here a thousand years.”

It’s the 1960s and Northampton is at a crossroads. The town’s population is set to double as part of the government’s New Towns Act. But as new estates welcome thousands of families from London and the old town centre undergoes radical changes, some fear Northampton’s identity is being stripped away.

Tasked with Northampton’s expansion over twenty momentous years, the newly formed Development Corporation will go to hilarious lengths to ensure targets are met – even adapting their radio jingle into a legendary pop record…

Made by local creatives and inspired by true events, 60 Miles by Road or Rail brings Northampton’s extraordinary past and present crashing together to celebrate our hometown at a time when uncertainty threatens to pull us apart.

ACTING COMPANY Subika Anwar-Khan, Jo Blake, Helen Crevel, Davin Eadie, Dan McGarry, Bianca Mulligan

SET AND COSTUME DESIGN Lizzy Leech

LIGHTING DESIGN Rory Beaton

SOUND DESIGN AND COMPOSITION Alice Boyd

MOVEMENT DIRECTOR Gerrard Martin

ASSISTANT DIRECTOR Kitty Benford

PRODUCER 60 Miles NN and Carbon Theatre

PRODUCTION FILM Eight Engines

An on demand filmed version of the show is available to watch here

60 Miles by Road or Rail was a year-long arts, heritage and community project focusing on Northampton and Corby’s New Town stories. Following a pilot project in 2018, 60 Miles by Road or Rail’s 2021 activities include archived oral histories , a 30-minute documentary film, an award-winning photography project in the newly refurbished Northampton Museum, two co-created activities with local residents, three academic workshops, and a new theatre production made by local artists at Royal & Derngate. The project was funded by Arts Council England, National Lottery Heritage Fund, National Lottery Community Fund and the Northamptonshire Community Foundation.