Stories have the power to teach without the audience even realising that they are being taught! A story about a an ancient mirror dated back to the pre-Roman Britons will include a description of the village, the houses and food that people ate. This information is seamlessly woven into a story of magic. The early Britons emotions at the arrival of the Romans, how news traveled and the measures that these people were prepared to take to save their culture are all in the story. Yet the factual information is easily absorbed as a backdrop to the very human story which is at the forefront.
Recent projects have included...
Work with The Devon Record Office, using original documents from:-
Teignmouth, Devon in the 1600s.
Working with true stories of local pirates and interweaving these tales with the towns history of lacemaking, resistance to the reformation and local folklore. The story included many places (road names and a pub) still in existence to the present day - bringing the historical past into the present.
The ships of the British East India Company (1800s)
Working from a Captains log book the story was brought vividly alive through the eyes of a young boy on his first voyage. The terrible food, treacherous storms and mysterious stories of mermaids and sea monsters were interwoven with Indian folktales concerning the goods that were traded.
Work with the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, using Objects from the museum.
The Holcombe Mirror (Iron Age - about AD30)
Working with a replica of the original mirror, a story incorporating plenty of Celtic magic was spun. The story was placed in careful geographic context with local rivers and place names included. The audience were taken into another world and returned ready to create their own stories.
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