The Woodland Creatures Theatre

Sewerby Hall & Gardens 2021

The Brief

In early 2021, we met with the team at Sewerby Hall & Gardens as there was an appetite to bring back live events following the first year of living with Covid-19.  We knew that being outside was one of the safest places to be and the grounds there have plenty of spaces to distance audiences. Could we create a Summer of activity which delivered joyful experiences for audiences whilst keeping them safe?

What We Did

Following a successful application to the Arts Council England Project Grants, we spent a number of days in the woods in February and March, looking at how we could adapt our formats to allow our work to be delivered in a climate of social distancing. This funding allowed us to develop our Woodland Creatures Theatre performances so that we had the variety of stories needed to fill an entire Summer of delivery at Sewerby Hall & Gardens. We worked on creating a stable of delivery – re-working old shows and creating new and we delivered five separate performances – Robin Hood, Around the World in 80 Days, The Odyssey, The Three Musketers, and King Kong. We worked with the team at Sewerby to create a safe ‘in the round’ playing area in which family bubbles were distanced both from each other and the actors.

The Result

We successfully delivered 63 performances across the Summer in our brand new event space. The shows went on to be re-programmed at other venues including for The Woodland Trust and Deershed Festival, and the event space at Sewerby has become a staple of the visitor experience at the venue!