The Shows...

History & Culture

Up The Cut
An amusing and informative history of the Canals of England & Wales, Up the Cut is a
whistle stop tour, starting at the beginning of the modern canal age with James Brindley
and the Bridgwater Canal, through the growth of commercial carrying, to its decline and
neglect. Added to this is a number of songs with audience participation in places!

Folk of the Cut
Similar in style to Up the Cut this show looks at the people involved with our canal system
from the early engineers to restoration by the volunteers of today. On the way there
are stories and songs (with some audience participation) about the lives of boating families,
their employers and others who depended on the canal for their livelihood.

Entertainment

Characters on the Cut
A series of both humorous and serious insights into the people, past and present, who have,
for one reason or another, been drawn to the canals of this country.
Told from the viewpoint of an observer at "ThePub on the Cut", the audience is introduced
to a variety of characters including an "Idle Woman" and a "Gongoozler".
Each has a song to sing (some of which require audience participation) and a tale to tell.

Engineering & Architecture

A Cruise on the Cut
A slide presentation looking at the architecture and engineering of the British canal system.
It covers the general style of canal structures, and sees how techniques to overcome a
variety of problems caused by the geography of the routes evolved over time. It also
examines the idiosyncratic designs of some of the individual canal builders.
Add to this some songs about bridges, locks, aqueducts, canal engineers et al (with,
naturally, some audience participation!) and it becomes a show that is both informative
and entertaining.