Nature
One of the unique things about traveling with Sabotage theatre company is that our venues are predominantly in rural locations and as a result we are much more in touch with the world around us when we’re on tour.
We are lucky to have performed in some incredible outdoor spaces over the years, well off the beaten track. From disused quarries to wonderful woodlands each space creates a magical setting for staging a play. As a result we’ve had some very memorable experiences and encounters.
When we had two shows over the course of a weekend in Ivychurch we stayed in the church, or the cathedral of the marshes as it’s locally known. There is a pub just beyond the wall of the churchyard so after our evening show we went along for a drink leaving everything securely shut up. On our return to the church we opened the door to be greeted by some bats who were flying around in the church porch. It was a mystery how they managed to get in as we couldn’t make out any gaps in the architecture but it was such an atmospheric welcome back to the place that was going to be our home for the evening, and very fitting considering our plan to share ghost stories that night if we couldn’t sleep!
Sabotage has completed some horse drawn tours in previous years, when the touring schedule was limited to the Kentish marshland and southern Sussex. Tours would be scheduled to allow time for traveling in between different destinations on foot, usually with a vehicle in support carrying food, personal items and instruments that needed protection from the weather. So there were days allocated for walking and days allocated for performances. This allowed locals to see the company out and about for themselves, helping to spread news about the shows that were taking place through word of mouth. The horses would set the pace for walking and the company all wore historically accurate troubadours costumes that Berthe Fortin designed especially for wearing on the journeys. On rest days when the company weren’t traveling we were occasionally allowed to ride the horses around where we were staying and get to know the beautiful horses even better.
I was always in awe of the strength and power that these gentle horses had when it came to tackling hills on the south downs. The horse handlers live and work on the land year round and knew exactly when to pick up speed so that there would be enough momentum to trot up hill pulling wagons filled with theatrical props and flat packed set pieces. On hot days the company would aim to stop in the shade to give the horses some respite from the heat. This meant that we would find ourselves having picnic lunches in beautiful woodland clearings where the floor was carpeted with bluebells as far as the eye could see. There isn’t a green room in any theatre in London town that can compete!
One of my favourite rainy days on tour was walking with the horses along the waterways in Romney Marsh away from any roads or settlements. Moments like those felt particularly timeless as the landscape on the marsh has no relief in it and so has a filmic, otherworldly quality to it, especially when there’s no one else in sight. The Royal Military canal which made up part of our route was built 200 years ago during the Napoleonic Wars as a defence in case of invasion. It stretches for 28 miles from near Hastings in Sussex to near Folkestone in Kent, with a pathway running all along one side. It is covered with lily pads and attracts incredible dragonflies and kingfishers so it was a wonderful place to discover.
Another wonderful venue was the nature reserve in Barcombe near Brighton in Sussex. There’s a lake, some woodland and fields where we could camp out. The reserve run all sorts of activities and events, in fact when we were there there was another group camping out learning how to live off the land and fend for themselves, foraging, cooking and creating shelters. The field where we were camped was in another woodland clearing so in the evenings we could hear the deer exploring in the dark which was really atmospheric. On one occasion we walked to the edge of a field which Carl, ever the fountain of knowledge, had discovered was worth exploring in the midnight hours.
Carl has been a Saboteur for a decade and he is extremely good at ensuring that no-one misses the chance to discover something new. Whether it’s pointing out viewpoints on the road for actors who are have never been to a particular area, or sharing some of the history of an old church or information about the flora and fauna, he’s like our in house educator! One of the wonderful things about rural tours that take place at a slower pace is that they last longer than they ordinarily would. So with Carl’s guidance we were able to learn so much about the stars and track the course of their movement across the evening sky, and develop a sense of where to look to try to see the planets when they were due to make an appearance.
Sure enough we followed Carl out into the night and had the delight of sitting on a bank in the long grass - well covered to keep the ticks away! - when we heard a nightingale start to sing. There was an amazing contrast between the low near constant noises of the crickets and the frogs which seemed to blanket the entire area around us, with the delicate isolation of the nightingale’s song cutting through the darkness. It reminds me of one of my favourite quotes from The Tempest, “The isle is full of noises, Sounds, and sweet airs, that give delight…”
Another beloved venue we tour to is Kingley Vale a nature reserve and conservation area in West Sussex. It is the site of an incredible forest with some of the most impressive yew trees in Europe. They are amongst the oldest living things in the country, and some have been alive for almost 2000 years.
Most of us are used to seeing yew trees standing alone in churchyards and cemeteries however it is rare to find them growing in large groves like this, so it makes Kingley Vale a really unique location. Yew trees have long been a symbol of life, death and immortality so they are a fitting setting for staging plays. Parts of the trees are poisonous whilst other parts have incredible medicinal qualities. As yew trees grow and their branches bend to the earth they reroot and new tree trunks can develop from them. This creates really interesting shapes as the trees form natural arches so they are often compared to the architecture that we have come to associate with cathedrals. It allows us to use natural light by setting up staging in the spaces between the trees where the sunshine filters through their branches, whilst using the various trunks and low lying branches to demarcate the space. Sitting under a yew tree is believed to give you access to greater knowledge and wisdom, perhaps as they release toxic chemicals that can cause hallucinations, or perhaps because you’ve found yourself amongst them at a Sabotage show!
And of course no blog about the joys of rural touring would be complete without our gorgeous theatre dog Genie getting a special mention. She’s a stunning ruby King Charles cavalier spaniel with a gentle temperament and undoubtedly the loudest snore of anyone in the company! She’s seen all of our productions since she was a puppy and we hope you’ll get to meet her the next time we’re on the road. Do make sure you arrive early for our shows as you never know what wonderful natural delights you might discover for yourselves.
written by Zinta Gercans
