Atching Tan

Atching Tan was a multi-strand project that weaved together drama, history, and education.

Radio drama

The first element of Atching Tan was a 36-part radio drama that focused on the relationships between three Traveller families and the settled community in a rural village. BBC East aired the series between 2008-10. If you’d like to listen again, you can do so here!

Life stories

Atching Tan’s second strand was an archive of Romany history told through the reminiscences and life-stories of over 50 Gypsy, Romany, and Traveller people. These recollections were gathered by a team of volunteers, collated and stored as an archive available to the public via the Cambridge Community Archive, Cambridge Records Office, local museums and libraries, and Atching Tan’s own website.

Education

In order to break down the barriers is distrust, misunderstanding, and misconception that exist in society, Atching Tan’s third strand was an education pack. The pack includes elements of the Gypsy, Romany, and Traveller stories from strand two combined with other materials, including poetry and music, to create a resource for use in schools.

Volunteers

All three elements of the Atching Tan project were supported by the work of our volunteers, who constituted Atching Tan’s fourth strand. RTC is an accredited training provider through the Open College Network. It is hoped that by providing these opportunities for learning we can foster a sense of pride in Romany culture, increase general understanding of the Gypsy, Romany, and Traveller people and their way of life, and create positive relationships throughout society.

Find out more

If you would like to more about Atching Tan, please visit its website: atchingtan.romanytheatrecompany.com