Arts Features

People from across Dartmoor have been learning all kinds of new skills to create articles, film animations and compose songs for a new website.

Dartmoor Resource - MED Theatre's new online contemporary archive and forum - is funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund and the Dartmoor National Park Authority.

Volunteers were given training

MED Theatre has grown out of a tradition of putting on original community plays which involve large numbers of people of all ages from the area.

This latest project is aiming to chart the history, ecology and communities of Dartmoor and goes live on 30 April 2009.

The work which appears on the site has been based on volunteers' research into the moor's past.

The idea is to make knowledge about Dartmoor accessible to a wider audience and a number of schoolchildren have already been heavily involved with the project.

The story of Kitty Jay inspired some of the work

Chagford and Okehampton primaries have used the inspiration of existing Dartmoor myths to create their own modern day versions.

Shadow puppet maker Willem Montagne of the Dartmoor National Park and animation tutor Tanya Morel took part in workshops at the two schools over the spring term to create their unique work.

And the results are being displayed on the site  - the inspiration for which came from research into the history of theatre on Dartmoor.

The website also features performances, songs and dance work inspired by well-known Dartmoor tales like the story of Kitty Jay.

Children from two primaries have taken part

Volunteers have attended courses around Dartmoor to equip them with the skills required to produce material and MED artistic director Mark Beeson describes the launch as a "landmark in MED Theatre's mission to make our roots more apparent to us".

And he sees the launch as just the beginning of what he hopes will become an "outreaching community forum as well as an in-schools resource.

"It will work on a cross-curricular level providing support for research into creative projects," he says.

He also hopes the site will link with schools in other parts of the world, allowing students to exchange information and creative works inspired from their own home landscapes.

Other subjects looked at as part of the site's creation include the myths of Childe the Hunter and Jan Coo as well as uncovering the historical roots of Dartmoor's version of Robin Hood, Roger Rowle.

One Dartmoor Resource volunteer Janet Coopey said she found it a very interesting project to be part of.

"It was fascinating to delve into the rich history associated with stone circles and contrast that with how Dartmoor is being used for dance today," she says.