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The Consequences

It's been 400 years since the Mayflower sailed from the river’s edge in Rotherhithe to Plymouth, and we still aren't telling the story in full.

Its anniversary is being commemorated in a variety of ways both nationally and internationally, so London Bubble Theatre, with its HQ in Rotherhithe, has decided to carry out a community inquiry of its own by hosting a free online event on Thursday 26 November, from 7-8pm.

Together with historians, artists, volunteers, actors and local participants, they have been Charting the Mayflower, delving into this fascinating history and exploring how it resonates in today's society.

A spokesman said: “On our journey we’ve regularly been shocked by our own ignorance. Looking into the backstory of the Mayflower's passengers, their motives for traveling and the means by which they found resources and permission to set out; we’ve been struck by the influence of the City, the Crown and the Church - the institutions that drove colonialism.

“It is the consequences of this colonialism and its legacy that we're examining now. Who were the Wampanoag and what did they endure when the settlers settled uninvited? Why weren't we taught this at school?

“The fact that we're asking ourselves these questions as total outsiders to the story whilst in the grip of a pandemic ourselves feels extremely relevant.

“Approximately 80% of Indigenous Americans died during a pandemic that preceded the arrival of the Mayflower in 1620. Today's problems are certainly smaller in comparison but our own sense of disconnection and fear has felt related. So let us connect with you here, and share some of what we have discovered.”