大象传媒

A radical, a novelist and a soldier for the working class, Jack Overhill's story has been tucked away under the dust of Cambridge's more romantic history since his death 20 years ago - until now.

A group of youngsters have delved into the city's Cambridgeshire Collection - a hoard of historical and enlightening documents held at Milton Road Library - and have come across the story of a remarkable man.

The Classworks gang

Jack wrote over 20 novels, only three of which were published, about life in the poorer parts of Cambridge and was a relentless note-taker when it came to the life around him.

"His greatest legacy was keeping a diary, he started the diary in 1932 and was still writing it the year he died in 1989," says Chris Jakes from the Cambridgeshire Collection.

Confusing

Monday and Tuesday night this week will see three youth theatre groups CLASH, CYT2 and听 CYT3, with kids from 11 to 18 years old, bring Jack alive on stage in a performance called Sleeping Shadows.

Oliver plays a contemporary character who lives in Jack's old house: "It's about Jack and his family but it also mingles in with different people's stories and day-to-day lives... It's quite confusing really."

Taking history to the stage

As well as young thespians the show also incorporates the very modern twist of hip-hop dancing, thanks to local shape-throwers Sincru.

Jack grew up with his father after his parents divorced when he was young, spent his early years working with his Dad as a cobbler and spent much of his life on Saxon Street in the Newtown area of the city.

Slums

Politically he was anything but passive: "He was a radical and had no time for the English establishment," adds Chris.

Jack was very precious about his work and his refusal to let publishers edit his material meant that not nearly enough was printed for the masses. But after Classworks found out about his story, artistic director Jenny Culank was ready to put his name to the play.

"We started looking at what were the slums of Cambridge in the 20s. Jack's writings are an absolutely intriguing insight into a life of children and teenagers growing up then," says Jenny.