INK has commissioned playwright, Martyn Wade to tell the dramatic and tragic story of Joe Kennedy Jnr, the elder brother of JFK, who as a young man seemed destined to become President of the United States – until, that is, the Second World War intervened.
No Ordinary Joe, No Ordinary Kennedy examines Joe’s complex character, and traces events which led Joe to volunteering for a top-secret and highly dangerous mission, in which he was required to fly a Liberator plane packed with explosives and bail out before it crossed the Channel. Tragically his plane exploded over Blythburgh, Suffolk killing him and his co-pilot, Lt. Wilford John Willy (Bud). This play is to honour them both and all those who flew and lost their lives during WW2.
Thanks to National Lottery Heritage Fund and a grant from Durrants Charitable Foundation, the project will also gather and record local WW2 stories which will be then be presented and stored at The Halesworth Museum and an exhibition displaying parts of the crashed plane curated for the first time from different sources.
“We’re delighted to support this project.” commented Dominic Parravani, Managing Director of Durrants. “It brings to life a fascinating wartime story that happened right on our doorstep, and the telling of that story will bring together the local community and provide fascinating insight for generations to come.”
Fiona Darrington of INK’s Community Project said, “We are thrilled, delighted and incredibly grateful to the Durrants Charitable Foundation for awarding INK funding for our heritage project – No Ordinary Joe, No Ordinary Kennedy. Your generous donation of £1,500 will make a significant contribution to our work and greatly benefit The Halesworth and Community Museum and the wider Suffolk community.”
Originally planned last year to tour Suffolk airfields No Ordinary Joe, No Ordinary Kennedy will now be performed as an audio drama and will be released from 8th April (the planned start date for INK Festival 2021) at www.inkfestival.org – an optional small donation will be suggested to help raise funds for INK and The Halesworth Museum.
