Antarctica 2024

I have been given another unique opportunity to revisit Antarctica with a trip organised by The Scott Polar Research Institute in Cambridge. I will be visiting the British Antarctic Survey base at Rothera on the Antarctic Peninsular on the 5 March 2024 aboard a ship that includes as its guests Dafila & Falcon Scott who are the children of Sir Peter Scott and the grandchildren of Robert Falcon Scott.

I have also been asked to perform my one man show during the voyage which was first performed at the Brighton Fringe in 2022. I am hoping to add some topical additions to the show for my performance at the Henfield Hall on Friday 12 April.   

Antarctica: This Magical Place is an experience using the Edwardian explorer Captain Scott to tell the story of 120 years of exploration, discovery and science from the early 20th Century to the present day. Captain Scott’s tragic expedition and subsequent legacy has helped to establish this vast continent as a constant light in the life of our planet. Using unique video and still images from Antarctica, he takes us through the ages showing how this vast continent has been explored and gives an insight to the people who have investigated its valuable climate. One we need to protect for future generations.

There have been many books written about Antarctica, its explorer’s and its secrets and recently the discovery of Shackleton’s ship Endurance has shown the amount of interest we still have in this magical place.

Here Trevor describes his visit to Antartica in 2019 which was the inspiration behind his original show: “It started well and then due to weather conditions it was decided to make two landings over a four hour period. I was supposed to be on the second landing but sneaked on the first boat to leave. I was not going to wait when we were only 300 metres from the beach and I could see Scott’s hut. So near yet so far. I could not believe I was here! What a moment for me to actually step inside his hut. I paused at the door that Scott had emerged from to start his trek to the south pole. A very moving experience. I had been thinking about putting this show together ever since 2014 when Henfield Theatre Company performed Terra Nova. I wanted to use more visual techniques then to give a sense of beauty and poignancy to the story of Scott of the Antarctic. Technically it was difficult, so this production gives me a chance to experiment with those ideas. Following my emotional expedition to Antarctica and Scott’s hut on Ross Island in 2019, I came back with a lot of video footage and stills that could present Antarctica in all its glory. This combined with a lifetime obsession with the Golden Age of Antarctic Exploration gave me the impetus to produce this piece of theatre.”

Any profit from the performance will be donated to The Scott Polar Research Institute Field Team, to support their work in Antarctica. I would like to thank the following for their help and contributions to my production:

• The Scott Polar Research Institute

• Heritage Expeditions

• StageProjections.uk

• Peter Ingledew

• BBC

• Ian Henham

• TimeStorm Films

• Susan Solomon

• BFI (British Film Institute)

Trevor Hodgson