War Horse visits Beamish Museum as part of Sunderland run, to honour the fallen

As part of Sunderland’s Remembrance Day commemorations and the marking of 110 years since the outbreak of World War One, War Horse puppet Joey, and his skilled puppeteers, visited the museum’s Home Farm.

Not only did the visit remember the men and women lost in the First and Second World Wars, but the animals who served, too.

Joey and the National Theatre War Horse production, which is playing at Sunderland Empire until November 16, travelled to the living, working museum to meet their Clydesdale horse, Mick, who is a real-life example of a working horse that would have been used in World War One.

Also in attendance were Beamish Museum’s engagement staff, who recreated First World War soldiers.

Rhiannon Hiles, Chief Executive of Beamish Museum, said:“It was wonderful to have War Horse here and to see the actual Joey with our horse Mick.

“It was quite emotional when he came out of the hemmel. I felt a bit choked up and had a tear in my eye. It’s significant for us to host this, not just because we’re partners with Sunderland Empire, but because it’s brilliant to work together with anchor institutions across the north, especially at this time of year.”

This tour of War Horse follows the 40th anniversary of the publication of Michael Morpurgo’s global best-selling novel, which has now sold over 35 million copies in 37 different languages worldwide.

It’s a moving story which puppetry work by South Africa’s Handspring Puppet Company, helps bring to life on stage.

Local actor, Owen Dagnall, from County Durham, plays Albert in the production. When asked about the significance the story has today, he said: “It’s the humanity in it. It’s based on Joey and the bond he has with Albert. It’s humanity in its purest form. We need humanity - the rawness of it is very special. It’s very captivating.”

Hartlepool puppeteer, Lewis McBean, who plays Heart of Joey, said: “There’s so much war happening and I think both World War One and World War Two made such big impacts upon everyone all over the world.

“Of course, we’ve built our future from that point on and war, no matter which one it is, teaches you lessons of how we act, the human condition and how we deal with things. What’s nice (about the show) is although war is the backdrop, it explores a lot of the relationships and how people deal with war in those moments, as well as how we connect and the decisions we make.”

War Horse tells the story of Joey, young Albert’s beloved horse, who is sold to the Cavalry and shipped to France.

He’s soon caught up in enemy fire, and fate takes him on an extraordinary journey, serving on both sides before finding himself alone in no man’s land.

Albert, who remained on his parents’ Devon farm, cannot forget Joey. Though still not old enough to enlist, he embarks on a treacherous mission to find him and bring him home.