Secrets of the Stour

08 May 2024

Secrets of the Stour - Part 2 of Our Rivers Run Through Us project - July 6-9 2022, was a site-specific community theatre production in a hidden part of Wimborne, along the banks of the River Stour, on land owned by Sir William Hanham.

Sir William Hanham was delighted that the performances are taking place on the estate as he believes they will ‘help raise awareness of the value of our rivers for the community and for the wildlife that inhabits them. With both the Allen and the Stour running through the Deans Court Estate, we are starting to regenerate the land to bring it back into balance with nature, and we hope to engage with schools and community organisations to participate in this endeavour. This summer’s riverside theatrical production couldn’t be a better way to start."

About the Production

• The specially created performance was developed by members of Wimborne Community Theatre, and directed by Tony Horitz, in collaboration with artistic director, Joe Hancock of Burn the Curtain Theatre and Millstream Theatre artistic director, Tam Gilbert, with music composed by Karen Wimhurst and sound artist, Adrian Newton.
• Millstream Theatre is a theatre group of people with learning disabilities, based at MED, Museum for East Dorset, Wimborne, co directed by Tony Horitz and Tam Gilbert. Millstream has collaborated with WCT on several previous shows.
• Karen Wimhurst created original music for the show, and Choir
• Children from Rushcombe School, Corfe Mullen, Dorset, took part.
• Funding from Dorset Community Foundation enabled WCT to recruit roles for emerging theatre practitioners and Access Support.

The story:

Two young siblings, Jay and Sam, venture into the landscape to solve and resolve particular fears and grief and the audience travelled the course with them.

The play began with a commemorative event celebrating the life of their recently deceased Granddad, and it was a toast to his memory which audience and cast made, that became the catalyst for the arrival on the riverbank of a mysterious boatman (spirit of Granddad) accompanied by Spirit Guides, protectors of the otter, water crowfoot, caddisfly, eel, salmon and kingfisher, each represented by puppets taking on their forms.

The audience in four groups move from Shrine to Shrine in a quasi-game show format. Discoveries about the creatures’ lives are made along the way. Inside each shrine, an extract from Granddad’s diary is found which an audience member reads aloud to the rest of the group.  Each extract reveals some aspect of Granddad’s knowledge of and concerns for nature. He records signs for concern, low water levels due to dry winters and lack of summer rain, so no flooding occurs on the water meadows and consequently, no nutrients benefit the species that depend on the floods for their ecology.  He wanted his grandchildren to recognise this interdependence, to help find ways to rebuild the river ecosystem.

Once the four diary extracts had been read, the connection between the different shrine creatures become clear – they represent the life cycle connecting species, vulnerable and under threat – and Jay realises he and his sister have a part to play,  by learning the names of creatures and plants, by imagining the ancient oak as a mother tree messaging the younger trees, by finding out the mayfly eats the plant, and the frog eats the mayfly.

Funders:

Dorset Community Foundation; Arts Council England; Dorset Council