THE WOODS ARE ALIVE WITH THE SOUND OF STORYTREE
Monday 5th Jul 2010 11:59:28
If you go down to the woods today, you’re sure of a big surprise! Storytree practitioners, Daniel Serridge and Ian Douglas, will be performing amongst the trees in three woodland areas of Cumbria at the end of this month. The interactive performance piece is part of the Into the Woods tour, an original and imaginative event that has been organised by Lakes Alive. Visitors can enjoy the ‘nature trail with a difference’ between 2pm and 7pm at Talkin Tarn Country Park near Brampton on Wednesday 28 July, Whinlatter Forest on Thursday 29 July and Grizedale Forest on Friday 30 July 2010
Visitors can expect a day packed full of surprises and, as they stroll through the woodland setting, they will encounter interactive performances, art installations, demonstrations and a host of magical characters.
Storytree will be bringing their two characters ‘Patrick’ and ‘Bridget’ to the woodland party. Patrick and Bridget are travellers who have been travelling the length and breadth of the world looking for a place to call home. Bridget has a beautiful singing voice; Patrick plays the spoons; together they promise an afternoon full of high jinks and tomfoolery. They will be performing between 2pm and 7pm on all three dates.
Daniel Serridge, now a full-time member of the team, joined Storytree as an apprentice in 2007. Originally from Cumbria, he took a theatre studies degree course at Lancaster University, before returning home to take up this rare opportunity. He said:
“When I was growing up, I had spent most of my time wanting to get out of Cumbria. But I chose to go back because such opportunities do not come along very often. The apprenticeship helped me focus on my skills and on what I wanted to do. I was always very interested in working with people with no experience of theatre. I knew how much effect theatre had had on me and my upbringing. Storytree’s training has given me confidence to step out on my own. There is a lot I want to do. There is something incredibly powerful about the way theatre can reach out and involve people.
“Patrick and Bridget are an absolute delight to play. Myself and Ian have developed a good rapport with each other as performers and in doing so we have given these two characters a real energy which make them really accessible for everyone. What is so lovely about them is their ability to stop and talk to you face to face, for an audience it’s as if they are meeting these characters in the street and having a good old chin wag, when actually they are part of the performance, inspiring us to take the performance off into a whole new realm. We are both very excited about the event, it should be great fun”.
Storytree’s Artistic Director, Ian Douglas, will also be performing alongside Dan. Ian has been with Theatre by the Lake since it opened in 1999 and he created and launched the Storytree concept in 2006. In 2009 he received the High Sheriff’s Award for Outstanding Contribution to the Community, an accolade he is greatly proud of. When asked about the Woodland Tour performance he said:
“Patrick and Bridget are characters derived and born of the landscape; their stories, movements, songs and music are all inspired by their surroundings. As the audience spends time with the two characters they will be encouraged to interact with what is around them, all the time exploring what ‘home’ really means. The piece is really a love story – a tale of how the infamous travellers came to be. If you like stories, music and pig wrestling, then this is the show for you!”
The show is suitable for all ages and families are encouraged to bring picnics. For more information please visit www.lakesalive.org
‘Patrick’ and ‘Bridget’ will also be performing at Solfest on 28, 29 and 30 August 2010.
Storytree is a lead member of the West Cumbrian Arts Partnership, a loose consortium of performing arts organisations and individuals who are committed to developing participatory work in a community context within West Cumbria. The partnership recognises the strength of working collectively rather than individually and strategy and practice are developed collectively between partners.
