Confluence

Legends of the Stream

Helen Porter and Karen Wimhurst had met a number of young people in other Confluence projects who felt inspired to do more. Also, they remained convinced that there were people who had been involved in youth club and schools projects who would be more likely to want to participate when removed from the environment of peer pressure. To this end, a residential course was planned, to be held during the autumn half term holidays when the children would be available, and parents might be glad to find an activity for them.

Helen had been eager to involve shadow puppet work in some part of Confluence, and this seemed an appropriate opportunity. Luckily she was familiar with the work of professional puppeteer Joe Gladwin, and he was happy to be enlisted for the project. A course was planned to include elements of composing, singing, and performance. The emphasis would be on helping the young people to develop their talents in workshop and performance.

The Springhead Trust at Fontmell Magna in Dorset is a small conference centre and performance venue set in atmospheric gardens at the headwaters of the Collyers Brook (a Stour tributary). They had been interested in working with us for some time, and offered concessionary rates for room hire and accommodation for the course.

However, even with such concessions, it quickly became evident that this was going to be an expensive project. Because it was essential to keep to a manageable number of participants, a fee of £85 had to be levied in order for it to be remotely viable. Although this is not an unreasonable amount, considering the price of comparable residential courses run by professional training groups, we were concerned that it would exclude low income families, and might disadvantage families who would like to send more than one member. As a consequence we offered two free bursary places. We luckily obtained additional support from North Dorset District Council to fund more bursary places and contribute to bringing Joe Gladwin's skills to the area. Thanks to this and much publicity the course went ahead with six girls and four boys, aged between thirteen and fifteen. This proved an ideal number, especially as due to unforseen demands, Karen was unable to take part in the teaching.

The course enable the creation of various musical and dramatic pieces to feed into a music theatre presentation for performance at the end of the course. The workshops and resulting performances took their inspiration from myths and legends of the world's rivers, especially those which act as warnings against the power of water to drown and inundate.

Work sessions included puppet making, shadow puppetry, basic singing technique, song writing, improvisation and composition. The group walked in the grounds, explored the springs and later, two of the most hardy participants were not able to resist plunging into the freezing waters during a midnight walk around the lake...

The course co-incided with Hallowe'en, and to inspire and demonstrate the possibilities of shadow puppetry, Joe gave a special performance of his immaculate miniature theatre production of Dracula.

With a stage made from a cardboard box, Joe playing all of the characters, providing all the voices as well as operating the lights, the dramatic scene changes, music and sound and visual effects, this was certainly not to be missed! It was inspiring for everyone to see such an accomplished professional puppeteer at work. Afterwards, the group were invited on a 'backstage tour'...

On the final night, the participants showed the advances they'd made in an extraordinary and magical performance, before an invited audience of family and friends. In this show they presented a development of a traditional legend from the valley of the river Ribble, whose spirit was said to take a life every seven years.

The group showed the many and varied weird and wonderful adventures of the seventh person to be claimed, who is taken on a fantastical journey to the depths of the earth's waters. There, all the secrets of the underwater world are revealed - the evil as well as the good. Huge, fabulous three - dimensional fish made from withys depicted the monsters of the river bed; shadow puppets and effects were created to show the journey to the bottom of the lake. Accompanying music, again devised by the participants in workshop sessions with Helen, was played beautifully on the bodhran, clarinet, 'cello and accordian.

The very appreciative audience were astonished at the range and richness of the piece. After the show, a good discussion followed, in which the group demonstrated how they had created the various special effects, and explained how the show had been put together.

The whole group - Helen and Joe included - enjoyed the experience enormously.