A wave of entertainment will break over North Devon this summer!

The Wild Shore promises to soak audiences in excitement, intrigue, song and swims - all within the North Devon Coast National Landscape.  

Tickets are on sale now for The Wild Shore - a magical, marine, multi-event participatory experience that includes outdoor theatre shows, wild swims to appease the monsters and music, writing and treasure-making workshops.

This oceanic extravaganza has been created by acclaimed outdoor theatre specialists Burn the Curtain in partnership with Beaford and playwright Bernadette Russell.

 

A promenade theatre adventure by the sea…

In a quiet coastal village, little has changed for centuries. Life follows the rhythms of the sea. The villagers rely on the sea for their living, and pay little heed to what happens inland, or to the country's changing laws. After all, it is not just fish that come in from the sea…

Once a year, on this very night, bottles wash ashore carrying messages from those lost to the waves. Villagers and travellers gather to hear these voices from beyond the deep. But tonight, something is different. The newly formed Customs Posse is closing in, determined to capture the elusive leader of an infamous gang of smugglers.

Join Burn the Curtain for an evening of mystery, magic, and adventure. Meet shipwrecked sailors, fearless fisherwomen, shapeshifters and determined law enforcers for an unforgettable night of promenade theatre by the sea.

The show happens at Bucks Mills between August 19 and 25 is written by Bernardette Russell, an author & storyteller mixing kindness, folklore, history, science, magic, hope & wonder.
 

Swims from The Wild Shore

The Wild Shore’s programme of events also includes a series of wild-swim-story sessions, where the audience is invited to participate by sea-swimming alongside the actors - literally immersing themselves in the action!

Swimmers will gather on Hele Beach, North Devon to join the mysterious Shore Sisters in a ritual unlike any other. Their mission? To fetch the Sea Runes, tell a story so enthralling it pacifies the ocean’s rage, and secure a year of calm waters for all.

Each year, a flower blooms in the ocean, an invitation from the deep. To keep the seamonster, the storm, and the spirits of the ocean at bay, a story must be fetched from the surf, one so enchanting it holds the forces of nature spellbound. Will you be the one to retrieve the sea runes and share the tale that saves us all?

This theatrical swim is a unique fusion of folklore, endurance, and ocean magic. With only a limited number of spaces available, this is a rare opportunity to take part in a powerful ritual of creativity and connection.

The swims take place July 8, 9, 10 in Hele Bay, near Ilfracombe, North Devon.

 

Treasures, writings, songs & rhythms from The Wild Shore

Magical and absorbing workshops for all the family are also part of The Wild Shore production this summer.

You and your friends and family will get a chance to make treasures, music and writings that will be incorporated into the shows.

Music workshops with acclaimed musician Becki Driscoll of Rootnotes, to create seashore-inspired sounds that will be incorporated into the shows, take place on Saturday 12 July in Alwington Village Hall.

Creative writing workshops, with The Wild Shore’s writer Bernadette Russell and Burn The Curtain’s Kerrie Seymour will offer the chance to write letters to imaginary folks ‘Lost At Sea’. They take place on Saturday 26 July in Barnstaple and Bideford Libraries.

 

Get tickets for all events & workshops from The Wild Shore here: https://beaford.org/events 

 

The Wild Shore is funded by Arts Council England, Beaford, Rootnotes and The Fenton Arts Trust. The creative writing workshops are supported by Libraries Unlimited.

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