As part of the weeklong Elevate Festival, Exeter Northcott Theatre has commissioned four short plays by local writers focusing on stories set in the Southwest of England. These plays were written in response to one of Exeter University’s Special Collections, the Theo Brown folklore archive. Theo Brown was a folklorist and research fellow in the university’s Theology and History departments in the 1960s, and she documented the tales and traditions of Devon through first hand accounts, making her an important figure in twentieth century folklore.
The plays covered a broad scope of themes, all drawing from different aspects of folklore and mythology, which was blended with the nature and strong history of the southwest. Each play had only two actors, with minimal props and staging, but all four actors embodied their characters fully, making you forget you had just seen them in another play just minutes ago.
Charlie Coldfield’s Old Wives Tale, set in the year 2076, was a tongue-in cheek critique of modern culture and attitudes to immigration, jam packed with Gen Z language and references. The humorous Dogging by Hattie Collins saw a couple trying to spice up their relationship, which was quickly derailed by eerie sounds in the darkness and tales of black dogs on Dartmoor, a classic aspect of Devon folklore. Nash Colundalur’s slightly bewildering Mary Hartley and the Peacocks, featuring Zaid Al-Rikabi and Jenny Coverack, explored the idea of challenging our own preconceptions about immigration through an encounter between an elderly lady and a man who appears at her house.
My favourite play of the evening was BeanyBroadums by Michael Ramus, which struck a chord between humour and mystery perfectly, exploring the historical importance of the water that runs beneath the land we live on. It was enjoyable to watch the witty battle between the no-nonsense scientist from the Department of Well Water and Springs, played by Sally Geake, and the bumbling businessman trying to get rid of her job, played by Florian Saturley. Rachael Walsh’s directing excellently captured the shift between humour and the revelation of sinister, perhaps even supernatural elements at play.
