Souterrain

a landscape theatre production based on the story of Orpheus in the Underworld

Inspired by the ancient myth of Orpheus in the underworld, Souterrain was the heartbreaking story of a hero who refused to let death separate him from his love.
 
The cast and audience literally travelled through a living set - buildings, gardens and spaces - transformed into a mysterious twilight world of strange creatures and amaizing sights and sounds.
 
The project, led by the Mercury Theatre in partnership with Insite, was an international partnership created by Wildworks (an off-shoot of the renowned Kneehigh Theatre from Cornwall) and produced in six different towns both in the UK and abroad.
 
The creation and performance of the Essex Souterrain took place in August 2006 at firstsite at the Minories in Colchester following a week long residency in February that year and further workshops during the summer.
 
Created with Essex people, the story was beatifully told with humour, live music, and stunning imagery. The overall enjoyment of the event had an extremely positive result with 74% of the public stating that the experience was 'excellent'.

Parent Project:

Documents

• Souterrain Leaflet (JPEG, 1005.00Kb)

• Souterrain evaluation report (PDF, 689.85Kb)

Art forms

• Theatre

Interventions

• Tourism events development

Venue

• firstsite: newsite (Colchester)