Cinemagoers in Broadstairs will get an extraordinary musical
treat on Sunday when soprano Sarah Hale attempts to recreate the
melodies of the Middle Ages as part of a production called Thanet
and the Black Death.

Sarah, who recently completed a master's degree in musical performance in Canterbury Christ Church University, will sing live before the screening at the Palace Cinema in Broadstairs.

The singer, who lives in the town, said: "The events in the film
date from 800 years old ago and I want to use my music to transport
the audience back into the right medieval mood to watch the
film."

Sarah will be aiming for a uniquely authentic feel to the
music.

She said: "No one knows exactly how these songs were
performed - recordings, of course, don't exist - but I'm going to
do my best to convey the spirit of them, to show how atmospheric
and wonderful they are."

Set in 1348, the film tells the story of a medieval Thanet
village devastated by the bubonic plague. It was shot on location
in Thanet, using a cast featuring many local people.

Producer Norman Thomas said: "The film was based on extensive
research into the period but the thing that really brings it to
life is the contribution of the local people. We explained to them
what the plague would have been like and asked them to imagine what
it would have meant to them, to see relatives and loved ones die
and to increasingly realise that they could do nothing about
it."

There are few written records of the impact of the Black Death
on Thanet but it is known that most of the people in the village of
Acol died in the plague. The village was burnt to the ground in an
attempt to stop the disease spreading.

The film also illustrates the weird and wonderful approach to
health and medicine of the time.

Mr Thomas added: "One of the strongest beliefs was in bleeding
people to cure them. But there were many other odd ideas - for
example, they thought goat's droppings could cure gout or that
wearing a toad around your neck would help cure internal
bleeding."