2. Victoria Hall Disaster
The Victoria Hall disaster occurred on 16 June 1883 at the Victoria Hall in Sunderland, England,
when the distribution of free toys caused a crowd crush resulting in 183 children (aged between
3 and 14 years old) to be crushed to death due to compressive asphyxia. On June 16th, 1883, a
magic act visited Victoria Hall they performed illusions and tricks that went off without a hitch
apart from when a cloud of smoke made some children in the front row ill but apart from that
the show was successful. At the end of the show as advertised on the ticket the announcement
was made that children with a certain ticket number would receive a prize when exiting the
theatre, as the announcement was made the entertainers from the magic show began to hand
out the prizes to the children in the stalls. Worried about missing out on the treats, many of the
estimated 1,100 children in the gallery surged toward the staircase leading downstairs. At the
bottom of the staircase the door had been bolted in a way that would only allow one child
through at a time so that tickets could be checked however with the surge of children running
towards the doors those at the front became trapped and ultimately crushed to death by the
weight of the crowd behind them.
Original ticket
I considered the story of Victoria Hall for a documentary. Not only do I
not have the resources to safely recreate this, due to the number of
children who died it is an incredibly sensitive topic therefore I would
have to be extremely careful in how I portrayed it therefore making a
documentary about the disaster appeared not only more logical but
more tasteful. This story is still a big part of Sunderland especially due
to the impact of the memorial in Mowbray Park.
3. The woman who haunts Sunderland Empire Theatre
The White Lady is thought to be Molly Moselle. The Empire Theatre is thought to be haunted by
the White Lady, known to frequent the bar area. A staff member says she heard doors banging,
people walking about and felt an ice-cold presence. Some have speculated the ghost could be
linked to the disappearance of a female member of staff from the 1940s.’It was on January 14 that
Molly Moselle – an assistant stage manager vanished while on an errand. The 33-year-old, whose
real name was Mary Burslem, had left her lodgings after telling her landlady she was popping out
for a birthday card. But the card never arrived. And Molly, a bright, lively and popular girl, was
never seen again. Tom Kershaw, then a dresser at the Empire, is thought to have been the last
person from the theatre to see her alive that day. “It was about five in the afternoon. I was at the
window of my flat and saw Molly going across the road,” he later recalled. “She had an orange
jacket on, and orange slacks and a hair band. But, when he arrived at the theatre later that night,
he found that Molly hadn’t turned up. “No-one ever saw her alive again,” he said. Her colleagues
described her as a bright bubbly person however beneath Molly’s bubbly and vivacious
personality, lay a troubled soul, she was deeply depressed after two failed relationships. Her 16-
year affair with comedian Bunny Doyle had finished only months before, while a romance with
businessman Walter Hattersley had just ended in tears. Mysteriously, according to old newspaper
reports, Molly had received a letter from Walter on the day she disappeared – but she refused to
reveal the contents. “The police search for Molly has been extended across Britain, with many
people reporting sightings of her at various railway stations,” reported the Echo. “No trace,
however, has been found. “Investigations into the possibility of suicide or murder have drawn a
blank too, as have interviews with past boyfriends and her family back in Merseyside.” Numerous
suggestions for her disappearance were put forward. One rumour had her snatched by the white
slave trade, another that she had stowed away on a ship to start a new life. But, despite the many
offers of help from the public, Molly’s trail soon went cold. After weeks of investigations, no
further evidence could be found – although the police file remains open. Molly’s disappearance
remains just as much of a mystery as it was 62 years ago, although legend has it that she now
haunts the Empire Theatre although it was never proven she was actually dead.
Molly Moselle
The Sunderland Empire is
thought to be one of the most
haunted theatres in Britain
therefore I decided to do some
research into the ghosts that
haunt the Empire. Upon
conducting this research, I came
across the White Lady suspected
to be Molly Moselle her story is
one that sparked interest with
me as it was never proven she
actually died this story could be
portrayed as both a documentary
or a short film and both would
be impactful and interesting due
to the links to not only a death
mystery but covering modern
day issues such as depression.
5. The Grey Lady:
The gallery, is the highest point in the theatre and
supposedly the most haunted area within the
building. A ghost known only as ‘The Grey Lady’ is
said to occupy the gallery, although most theatres
are believed to have a Grey Lady. According to
researchers she likes it up in the gallery because
she watches over the shows and the audience to
make sure that everything goes the way it’s
supposed to. People have said that while they’ve
been sat up in the gallery, they’ve turned around
to see a grey figure standing behind them, but
whether or not it's just a worker in the shadows
they are not entirely sure.
This could be a potential option for a short film as no one
really knows who the grey lady is and there isn't much
information about her therefore this story would allow me
to have full creative freedom whilst also linking the film to
Sunderland allowing the brief set by the clients to be met
and it would also allow me to cater the story more towards
the target audience demographic.
6. The most famous Empire tale concerns the
onstage death of Carry-On star Sid James
“Don’t worry, everybody dies in Sunderland.”
Sid James suffered a fatal heart attack on stage whilst appearing in ‘The Mating season’.
According to Vicki Newman, ‘He was sitting on a sofa next to actress Olga Lowe, who got
no response when she said her line to him. Known for his improvisations, she played
along and continued talking to him, but still didn’t get a response. She knew then that
something was wrong and ran off stage. The company manager came onto the stage
and started shouting into the audience, asking for a doctor. Because Sid James had been
in Carry On Doctor, everyone thought it was part of the show and just howled with
laughter. Eventually a doctor came up from the audience onto the stage, crying
with laughter, and only realised it wasn’t part of the show when the curtain came down
dramatically. Sid is now said to haunt dressing room one which he was using and actors
using it have reported hearing his signature dirty laugh echoing around the room.
Some people who’ve been there for panto have said they’re never coming back because
they’re so scared and others have refused to use dressing room one and requested to
have another. Maintenance workers who’ve been in there alone to paint have also
reported hearing the laugh and being tapped on the shoulder.
This was one of the
most well-known and
documented stories of
deaths at the
Sunderland Empire this
idea could either be
presented as a short
film or documentary
however this may not
be the best option to
choose given the age
of the target audience
giving how Sid James
died well before they
were even born.
8. Vesta Tilley
The Theatre, originally called The Empire Palace, was opened 1 July
1907 by Matilda Alice Powles. She was an English drag impersonator
who at the age of 11 adopted the stage name Vesta Tilley and became
the most famous and well-paid music hall male impersonator of her
day. Matilda also laid the foundation stone for the theatre on 29
September 1906. Tilley was the most famous and well-paid music hall
male impersonator of her day, nicknamed 'The London Idol. Her career
lasted from 1869 until 1920. She was a star in both Britain and the
United States for over thirty years. Tilley also appeared in some very
early silent films.
Vesta Tilley was one of the first people to push
the boundaries of gender and be successful in it
as a modern audience would be able to
appreciate the backlash she must have faced as
essentially a "Drag King". In a documentary I
could explore how the times have changed
especially in Sunderland from when Vesta Tilley
opened the Sunderland Empire to the Drag Quen
Miss Rory having a yearly bill on the Christmas
pantomime.
9. The Sunderland Blitz
The Sunderland Blitz was a bombing campaign by
the German Luftwaffe against the British city
of Sunderland during the larger bombing campaign
of Britain from 1940 to 1943. Sunderland was an
important ship building city and port during World
War II. 273 civilians were killed and 838 injured
during the bombing. Bombing of the city began on
21 June 1940 and ended on 24 May 1943. An
estimated 90% of the city's buildings were
damaged, and 1,000 destroyed. The worst raids
happened on 14 and 24 May 1943 when 152
people were killed and 512 injured.
The blitz was a big part of WW2 as at the time Sunderland was renowned for building ships and making glass
therefore was targeted by the Germans. The war severely impacted the city with many left homeless and
without a job.at the end of the reign of terror Sunderland had to rebuild itself not just buildings but the
people for this topic a documentary would not only be more tasteful, but it would also allow me to link it back
to the history and use accuracy to uncover what it was like in those times.
11. Original short film idea
Burn the Bridge
IDEA:
An audio/visual drama highlighting
Sunderland as its main location. This drama
will challenge stereotypical norm of society
whilst following the journey of a teenager
dealing with grief.
12. Evaluation
Upon gaining feedback and responses on my ideas from
peers(the target age demographic) and family members I
have decided to do a documentary covering the mystery of
Molly Moselle's death. Not only does this link to Sunderland
culture due to the fact that she is now said to haunt
Sunderland Empire but there is a lot to avenues to explore
in the story meaning that the target audience will stay
engaged throughout the documentary I will also aim to
showcase my professional practice by adding elements that
would typically be seen in a short film to keep the audience
engage and therefore please the client.
