Act One will be a script-in-hand performance of The Cobbler and a Trawlerman.

Back in the day when Hessle Road was the heart and soul of the fishing community, Rayners was open all tides and Johnny Whiteley was in his pomp; shops on the north side had awnings. Among them was a cobbler who had learned his trade as a shoemaker in the Jewish Shtetl of Central Europe. Sikorski was a Yiddish speaking anarchist, with a bad temper. His shop was dingy and messy. One day the door opens and a cocky trawlerman breezes in to order a pair of shoes. The story unfolds from a first fitting to the making of the shoes. An unlikely friendship builds until foul weather at sea intrudes. This story was inspired by Aubrey Coupland and his recollection of Jews within the fishing community of Hessle Road, Hull. This script-in-hand piece tests out the terrain and asks for a thumbs up to make it fully fledged from page to stage.

Act Two will feature readings from Snow in the Hold, inspired by the InPort Stories digital archive of life on the docks and insightful talks with dockers, retired and current.

These poems and stories explore the lives of men who have worked quaysides from Adelaide to Los Angeles; Tokyo to the Humber. Mick McGarry will give his songster take. This is heritage at its best, raising back voices that have long been petering out as technology races along and automation replaces many manual tasks.