TAURUS VOICE STAGE PRODUCTION
‘A SLEEPWALK ON THE SEVERN’

Sleepwalk Image TaurusVoice adapted the poem ‘A Sleepwalk on the Severn’ written by Alice Oswald into an innovative stage show. The group of 5 actor/musicians animated the poem with songs, music, physical theatre and costume. Like ‘Under Milk Wood’ and ‘The Ancient Mariner’ before it, the show theatricalised a subtle poetic work. Alice’s poem was commissioned for the Severn Project and published by Faber & Faber.

Alice Oswald writes in the foreword to the poem:

“This is not a play. This is a poem in several registers, set at night on the Severn Estuary. Its subject is moonrise, which happens five times in five different forms: new moon, half moon, full moon, no moon and moon reborn. Various characters, some living, some dead, all based on real people from the Severn catchment, talk towards the moment of moonrise and are changed by it. The poem, which was written for the Severn Project 2009, aims to record what happens when the moon moves over us – its effect on water and its effect on voices.”

The scene is set at night on the Severn Estuary and brings alive the Moon and her Dream Secretary as they illuminate and capture the lives of local characters living along the river - the eel fisherman and Reverend Crawley, moody girls and tattooed sailors, the cycling bird watcher and murderous goose hunter!

Moon in the street The innovative show was enjoyed by poetry lovers and poetry novices alike. For the actors it was a challenging text to bring to life, even though the majority of them had specialized in vocal technique with TaurusVoice for several years. They painted big atmospheric brushstrokes with their voices and song, combined with delicately conceived characters, movement and gestures. The development of the stage production was a rich creative experience for the team of poet, director, designer, composer, actors, lighting designer and wardrobe mistress.