Extra Time a Derby Theatre production as part of Derby CAN (Derby Creative Arts Network).
Playwright Jamie Thrasivoulou in conjunction with the Derby Theatres Team. Jamie is a poet, playwrite, writer, lyricist and educator who hails from Derby. He is also Derby County Football Clubs official poet.
Having forgone a Football match on Saturday I swapped it for a trip to Derby Theatre to see Extra Time on Sunday, the last day of an 8 day season.
I was not disappointed as the dedicated team acted out poems, chants, songs, dance and words that engaged me and the audience as we were immersed into Derby County.
The whole production was thought through to the nth degree to expertly weave in a Football theme.
There was a first and second half of 45 minutes with an interval of 15 minutes. A programme was available and for those attending the non Sunday shows pie and peas were available pre match. The bar area was also regailed with memorabilia, photos of past Derby County highlights and a video showing fans making their way to a match. There was also a replica FA Cup.
The exexperience was based around Derbys’ one and only FA Cup final of 1946 but weaved around it was the history from start to the painfully Administration of today.
Iconic matches, especially derbys against local rivals Nottingham Forest, local heroes, players and managers were all there to fully promote the community that is Derby County and the City of Derby. This play shows a great spirit within both.
The acting was amazing with no one shining out as the star, a true team effort.
Finally the score:
Charlton Athletic 1 Derby County 4 After Extra Time
Derby won the 1946 cup final in extra time 4-1 after it was 1-1 at full time. The City celebrated this fantastic win after it was bombed so heavily in the war but the team have never won it since in the following 75 years.
Derby scored on 85 minutes and thought that the match was over but Charlton immediately levelled a minute later leading to extra time. Derby scored three more goals in Extra Time to make the FA Cup theirs.
There were no chips at the Theatre for me to enter into my League but I did manage a bowl pre match at Plant Cafe & Bar just off the city centre. The menu of this Vegam restaurant described them as:
‘Twice-fried chunky chips sprinkled with rosemary salt.These chips are hand-cut from potatoes grown less than 3 miles from PLANT’
They were definitely spicy and delicious.
I would recomend any football fan to go and see this even if you don’t support Derby as the passion, community. friendship, pain and elation of watching any team comes through. Unfortunately this season is now ended but I noticed that they were filming the production, maybe they will screen it on the football club or the theatres Social Media in the future.
Payonthegate 