Sing of the road; DIRECTOR WANTS YOUR MOTORWAY STORIES FOR MUSICAL

Evening Chronicle (Newcastle, England), April 2, 2008

Byline: By TOM MULLEN

YOU'VE heard of the Sound of Music, now get ready for the sound of the motorway.

The A1 is the unlikely inspiration behind a new theatre show.

And director Benjamin Till needs your help to tell the story of the dual-carriageway.

He is appealing to people from across the North East to contact him with their tales of adventure, mischief or romance connected to the road.

From miners who travelled up and down the route in the days of the strikes, to police officers trawling the road in search of the Yorkshire Ripper, Benjamin wants to hear from you.

People will be invited to join him in telling their stories on stage for the show.

Benjamin, 33, said: "There won't be any actors in this musical, it will feature only real-life people.

"We want stories from bikers, miners, people who hang out in the pubs on the A1, anything and everything.

"Geordies are such interesting people, there must be a gold mine of stories across Northumberland and Tyneside."

Benjamin plans to piece together stories from up and down the country for A1: The Musical, commissioned by Channel 4. Yarns he has collected so far include tales from a 97-year-old woman who lives opposite a seedy sex store on the road, and a mother who has given birth twice in a lay-by.

Director-composer Benjamin lives just off the A1 at Highgate in London.

He added: "The A1 is probably the most famous road in Britain and in a sense is like one big street.

"I thought how fantastic it is that we all live on the same road, and how nice it would be to find out more about my 'neighbours' further up the road."

Benjamin, a West End director who has also worked on films, including 28 Weeks Later, says he wants the show to be ready by the end of summer.

The team has only three more weeks to find all the stories they need.

Musicians, singers and dancers are also being sought, but a knowledge of music or singing is not essential for anyone who comes forward with their stories.

Benjamin added: "This is a great British road and each part of it has a story to tell."

Ring Benjamin Till with a story on 0797 056 9125 or e-mail ben@benjamintill.com.

Top 10 driving songs

1. King Of The Road - Roger Miller

2. Life In The Fast Lane - The Eagles

3. Cars - Gary Numan

4. Road To Hell - Chris Rea

5. The Long And Winding Road - The Beatles

6. Road To Nowhere - Talking Heads

7. Route 66 - Chuck Berry

8. Drive - The Cars

9. Highway To Hell - AC/DC

10. Hit The Road Jack - Ray Charles

History of A1

The A1 stretches between London and Edinburgh.

It is the longest numbered road in the UK at 409miles (658 km) long.

The origins of the road go back as far as Roman times, and a road of some sort has followed roughly the same route for more than 1,000 years.

The dual-carriage way passes the Catterick Garrison in North Yorkshire and skirts the remains of Sherwood Forest in Nottinghamshire.

Legends associated with the route include folk hero Robin Hood and highwayman Dick Turpin.

CAPTION(S):

DRIVING FORCE: Benjamin Till; below, the busy A1