Night of Legends
In 2022 TWT were approached by English Heritage to create a unique piece of heritage theatre. The idea was to stage a show using several English Heritage properties at night. The family audience would be presented with a dynamic performance of a series of historical stories linked by a common theme with a constructed set, birds of prey, horses, lighting and other effects would be combined to create a spectacular, unforgettable evening of entertainment. The piece was constructed to follow the English Heritage core values of historical accuracy, quality, inspiration, fun and inclusion
Initially TWT were tasked with the creation of the concept, the script, casting, directing and production, but as time passed we also took on the role of overseeing the design, construction and installation of the set.
Having created a concept that encapsulated all the themes the client wanted, TWT set to work on putting flesh on the bones. We decided that the set would be a ruined tower in the woods, formerly used by a knight for entertaining his friends after hunting. This was our initial start for the story;
“It is evening in the forest. As shadows lengthen in the setting sun, a party of fine ladies on horseback are seeking their husbands. They have been hunting and in the excitement the ladies have become separated. Now, as the darkness descends, they are lost! Luckily their servants – a clerk, a groom, a laundress and a fool – have caught up with them. Everyone is hungry and thirsty, when, closeby they discover the remains of an ancient tower with, incredibly, a table freshly set with a sumptuous banquet!
Unable to resist they sit to feast. But not all is as it seems………………
A stranger appears and explains that the tower belongs to a knight who has been cursed by a witch and turned into a Wild Man – a creature part man, part beast and part tree. The feast is a trap laid by the witch. Any who dine at the Tower of Enchantment are doomed to turn into a Wild Man and wander the forests for all eternity. Unless………….
They must tell a story. A tale of such exquisite beauty that it moves the heart of the Wild Man, the curse on them will then be lifted. They will have three attempts. If they fail, as the next sun rises they will face their doom!”
This was the background to the three stories. The stories would be told and acted out by members of the party. The first story would have birds of prey in it, the second and third stories would have horses, and the third story would culminate with a mounted skill at arms with four knights. The audience would be involved at specific moments and would have a role to play – as Knights of King Arthur’s Round Table in the second story and as Townspeople in the third. The Wild Man would also appear in the form of a giant puppet on stilts and fight a duel!
The three stories were adapted from historically authentic C13th tales. In between the stories the characters would interact in a comical way as the true horror of their situation and their initial failures to win over the Wild Man raised the jeopardy. They would carry on until the last story successfully broke the curse and the Wild Man was restored to knightly form just as the three missing husbands of the ladies arrived and, at the ladies suggestion, were able to entertain the ladies with mounted combat.
The set was constructed and the play rehearsed and performed. First at Eltham Palace, then at Wrest Park. It was an instant hit with the audience, inspiring glowing reviews. The stories, although old, connected with modern family audiences, speaking as they did across the ages of universal themes of love, sacrifice and redemption.
But “Night of Legends” was so much more. It gave our audiences a unique opportunity to experience something never done before in an open air setting in the UK; to see a magical combination of performance, storytelling, live action with horses, combat and birds of prey, with a set and lighting and pyrotechnic effects at night! It made them a part of the narrative, caught up in the predicament of the performers and the danger of their situation. The audience were given a voice, invited to respond to questions and asked to take sides as if they were an additional character.
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