Create.
Each of our productions tells a story about the place where it is performed. We carefully research each location with help from members of the community, and then create original operas that celebrate “endangered” myths and legends from the area.
Create Events
Story Shares
An audio and project where members of the community in Wynford Eagle, Maiden Newton, Abbotsbury, Portesham, and Portland told their stories.
Library Workshops
A series of workshops in partnership with Dorset Libraries, where participants learnt how to write their own stories, which were recorded and shared at the end of each session.
“I just want to say how much we enjoyed the evening, especially the stories of the old days - they really opened up the village for us in a way that’s not been possible before”
Our Create events have been made possible through support from the Elmgrant Trust, Dorset Council, and the Valentine Trust.
Outland Opera’s first major project, The Stones Sing, is based on three locations in Dorset: Wynford Eagle, Abbotsbury, and Portland.
The Wyvern and the Eagle
O ancestors I thank you once again
That you gave your strong arms to the Sydenham men
I can’t but think you knew of us back then
That you founded Wynford Eagle just for us,
And for us just as you did dream us.
The Old Wynford Estate, Wynford Eagle
Wynford Eagle is a small hamlet based outside of Maiden Newton, around 30 minutes from Bridport. This is a very rural and remote village with an intriguing history surrounding a 15th century landowner, William Sydenham. The Wyvern and the Eagle is a fictionalisation of the story.
Our performance takes place at Fern Down Farm on the old Wynford Estate which, at the time of the setting, stretched all the way over High Hill to Toller Porcorum. If you walk past Wynford Wood and down the hill, you’ll join a beech-lined road. At the bottom is William Sydenham’s old manor house, where a stone eagle perches on the roof. Across the road is St Lawrence Church, known for its historic stone carving of two fighting wyverns, which guard the entrance. The Church also features an inscription to Matilda de L’Egle, the patron from which the hamlet gets its name.
Although about half of the properties in Wynford Eagle are privately owned, the rest are still part of the Wynford Estate. The neighbourhood is mix of affluent homeowners and second homes, as well as working farms and their employees. There are a number of nearby villages, most notably Maiden Newton, where Greenford Church of England Primary School is based, along with a few small shops. The area is incredibly remote: over half an hour’s drive to the nearest large shop, with residents relying on the small store at a local garage. Some residents volunteer to give older or disabled residents lifts to supermarkets or hospital appointments as the area is very poorly served by public transport.
We are extremely grateful to Fern Down Farm for hosting us. If you are not from the area, then you may be interested in their business, Dorset Escape, a superb holiday letting venture run by David, Sarah and Isabelle.
Arn-a-one
A husband, St Catherine,
A handsome one, St Catherine,
A rich one, St Catherine,
A nice one, St Catherine,
And soon, St Catherine.
Arn-a-one's better than narn-a-one
St Catherine’s Chapel, Abbotsbury
The stunningly situated St Catherine’s Chapel was built by medieval monks and has historically been a site for pilgrimages. St Catherine was the patron saint of virgins and, significantly for us, unmarried women looking for husbands. Over centuries, the chapel became a place where single women would go to beg for a man, and there are still stones by the door worn away by all the supplicants’ kneeling!
The chapel looks out across the famous fleet and towards Portland (the site of our final opera). On the west side is the village of Abbotsbury, a small community that is a popular tourist destination due to the chapel, the swannery, and the sub-tropical gardens.
This family-friendly opera gives the ancient pilgrimage a modern twist, as our heroine gets a little more (or less) than she bargained for! The libretto includes an historic prayer of the pilgrims, written opposite.
We are very grateful to English Heritage, our partner and in-kind supporter for this project.
The Beckoning Stone
What I would I had never seen, could never know
Its head bent on me – thus
And with its upheld hand
It beckoned to me – irresistibly
For good or evil I could not but go
St George’s Church, Portland
Our final story will take place at Grade I listed building, St George’s Chapel on the Isle of Portland. It is a stark but beautiful landscape, tied to the land by Chesil Beach and with a solid community historically built around the Portland Stone industry. Local people are rightly proud of their past; there is a community museum and a group of active local historians with an impressive knowledge of the area.
St George’s Chapel is the site of a little-known local legend, in which a stone angel in the graveyard was, on several occasions, seen to come alive and beckon, with seemingly malevolent intent, to people passing through. Our opera explores fictionalised events around this story.
We are extremely grateful to the Churches Conservation Trust for agreeing to be our partner for this project, and for the support of their astounding team of volunteers, headed up by Jeff and Jill Proctor.
Do you live in one of these places?
It’s really important for us to ensure that we are serving the needs of each community that we work with. Listening to your views is a really important part of this.
To help us make sure that we’ve done out homework, please take the time to fill out our resident survey by clicking on the button below!