The Beautiful Journey
Devonport Dockyard, Plymouth
2-20 June 2009
Tickets: £7.50, £10, £12.50
Box Office: 01752 267222
Real life stories of people growing up in Devonport are inspiring a landscape theatre project being staged inside the Plymouth naval base.
The Beautiful Journey is produced by Cornwall-based WILDWORKS Landscape Theatre Company, and Devonport Dock's Mutton Cove Gate will open for the first time in 25 years for the work to be 'staged' in from 2-20 June 2009.
However, there will be no stage or theatre seating - the audience will walk around a shanty town setting, taking in stories along the way.
The Beautiful Journey publicity poster
The narrative starts with members of the audience being given tea and biscuits and continues at a series of locations on the set.
The central fictional work is written by WILDWORKS' community director, Mercedes Kemp, and is inspired by the stories and memories of local people.
Later in the summer, the work moves to Newcastle - and then on to Europe - with the main story altered to reflect the unique contributions of their local communities.
WILDWORKS has been working with the Royal Navy and local community for a year, leading up to the production.
Mercedes Kemp said: "The people of Devonport and Plymouth have been so generous with their time. They've told us some amazing stories and shared great photographs - there is such a rich heritage here."
Emma Gibson from WILDWORKS says the audience can expect an amazing two-hour show: "It's a real experience. There will be a shanty town which people will move through. There is a nightclub and a musem of the sea - we are creating a world.
A previous WILDWORKS production, Souterrain
"It's a story of hope. Something has happened which has made us leave our homes and we've converged to the docks, where we feel safe. We are greeted by Kalypso, a mythical queen. It's a surreal world.
"There's live music to dance to and film, and the shanty town has hairdressers and places where you can buy something to eat.
"We've got a story and professional actors as well as the community element, so it's all very exciting."
The project is in conjunction with the Theatre Royal, Culture 10, Plymouth City Council and the Devonport Regeneration Community Partnership.
For more details about WILDWORKS and The Beatiful Journey, visit the website which is linked from the top right of this page.
