The Beautiful Journey
By JanePublisher | Tuesday, June 30, 2009, 22:26
The Guardian has called it one of the shows to see in 2009. Wildworks fantastic and haunting new play is set in the historic naval dockyards of Devonport. While most plays you tend to watch as a passive observer during the Beautiful Journey you become immersed in the play and therefore feel apart of the story itself. Or as one bystander commented '360 degree theatre'.
Wildworks is an international company based in Cornwall. It takes performance outside and is completely embedded within the community itself. The producer Steven Stenning told devonportpeople that “the play alters depending on the area it is in and even on the night as it is heavily influenced by the contributions made by the local people.”
Auditions for local participation were held at Ker street social club where local residents had the opportunity to participate in the choir and local children could get involved by doing workshops on various performances.
But it does beg the question why Devonport and why conduct a play within a working dockyard? Steven Stenning explains that they needed an area with a wide open space that was close to the water to complement the story of the play.
The local police attended several meetings with Wildworks and have taken numerous steps as necessitates in keeping the disruption to a minimum for the local residents of Devonport. While there has been some extra traffic and noise outside the usually oppressively quiet walls of the Mutton Cove gate, on the whole the local residents have felt that it has caused little disruption.
Plays like ‘The Beautiful Journey’ because they are based within the community help to bring something fresh and innovative to an area like Devonport. As the producer Steven Stenning states Wildworks brings a play to an area that may not usually be associated with the arts so that the area can be seen in a new light nationally and for local residents to become involved in something new that they may not have done before.
If you have seen the play or has found that it has affected you in anyway please post a comment
Comments
It was rubbish. Aled
By Aled11 at 17:54 on 29/07/09
ReportFantastic story. Good to hear further development for Devonport. Its a much under-used part of Plymouth. I have not seen the play but would like to. I would be most keen to see what else comes from Devonport and beyond the gates! Theatre is what makes us so great as a species, along with music, cooking, art and literature. Storytelling is an intrinsic and fundamental part of societies at large and communities in general. Using actors from an area to help tell a story staged in that area is a fantastic idea. ;-)
By JimboFitz at 11:17 on 14/07/09
ReportThis sounds interesting - no small disruption should stop exciting new creative cultural exhibitions.
By captainplanet at 13:04 on 11/07/09
ReportI don't really see what problem some theatrical disruption would be to anyone anyway?! Anything that brings people together for live theatre has to be a good thing. I'm a big fan of these Shakespeare in the Park events, where you walk around with the different scenes. I think this is a really innovative idea and it'll give the area a real boost over the summer.
By ALGrace at 00:19 on 09/07/09
ReportWe live right across the entrance to the mutton Cove gate and have not found it a disruption at all. In fact we have had the windows wide open and enjoyed listening to the music in the warm evenings.
By Mand101 at 23:36 on 25/06/09
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