Dragons: Music, Legends, Landscapes

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"Dragons: Music, Legends, Landscapes" will enhance the public impact of a completed AHRC project on the history of regional performance, "Records of Early English Drama North-East" (REED-NE). It will use the rich dragon lore of England's North East to consolidate and increase local interest in theatre history, music, and folklore. "Dragons" is also intended to alleviate hardships in the arts, crafts and heritage sector resulting from Covid-19.Funded by the AHRC between 2013-18, REED-NE discovered and studied sources of early music, theatre, ceremony and popular festivity in England's North East up to 1642. REED-NE has now entered its legacy phase. "Dragons" is inspired by findings which emerged during the research on the REED-NE project, such as "worm" characters in medieval plays, and stage dragons used in festive pageants of the 16th and 17th centuries. The bid capitalizes on this element of REED-NE's discoveries because legendary dragons are also very present in the local culture of England's North East - in stories, songs, plays, poems, operettas and church ceremonial. In collaboration with community stakeholders, arts & crafts specialists, and international theatre professionals, we aim to deliver a programme that is related to, but distinct from, previous work on REED-NE, for general audiences across England's North East:- A "Dragon Show", presented by regional artists, and touring England's North East (Hexham, Morpeth, Bamburgh, Ripon, Durham, Whitby)- Theatre and craft workshops- Exhibition "Radical Dragons: Fiery Beasts and the Making of the North East" at Brancepeth Castle, Co. Durham- Covid-resilient supplements: outdoor activities; elements of the exhibition and show available onlineAll activities will be extensively evaluated (e.g. with audience and participant questionnaires, interviews, and filmed documentation) to generate quantitative evidence on impact, and establish how forms of cultural and communal activity work in a pandemic context.The project's long-term legacy will be:1. Brancepeth Castle as a permanent, pandemic-resilient site to engage local communities and enhance the castle's touristic value and economic sustainability: with an exhibition space; a multi-purpose community atelier; and a small-scale permanent exhibition on the North East's dramatic heritage based on REED-NE research.2. Establishment of a theatre company - "Hazelsong Theatre Company" - based in Hexham, whose mission will be to celebrate regional musical and dramatic heritage in the North East. The theatre company lead (Bates) can build on excellent regional connections and has recruited all project partners except Brancepeth Castle.3. Quantitative and qualitative evidence on regional cultural activity in the field of intangible heritage (music, drama) and its effects in times of pandemic; a body of work of potential interest for future study of the pandemic (and its cultural and social impact) in the North East.