The Riversong Trilogy

The Riversong Trilogy is a multi-sensory primary school project that investigates and creatively celebrates rivers. The three parts can be delivered individually or collectively through theatrical song and performance, forming a charming and engaging route to understanding the river's nature. Riversong is available for school bookings.

About the work 

The Beginning is designed as a promenade piece that explores the characters we encounter along the river’s journey from source to sea.

If These Stones Could Speak follows the adventures of a little stone as he is thrown into the water and sinks down through the currents to finally come to rest on the dark riverbed, lost and alone. Until... 

Back To The Source seeks out the heritage of the river from prehistory to the present day using a richly woven musical track that is brought to life by the participants.

“Absolutely enchanting”

— audience member from ‘If These Stones Could Speak'

How we made it

Through a series of multisensory workshops with the pupils, we explored the geography and history of the River Wye and the people who are invested in it.

Workshops included exercises such as marking out 50 metres of ‘ice’ to picture how deeply buried the land was during the ice age or dropping rocks in sandpits to create foley sound of the little stone landing on the river bed (treading in a bowl of lentils proved ineffective for footsteps on a pebbly beach…)

Scripts were rehearsed at the school then recorded at the RNC (trying to fit a coach load of year 5s into the studio was a logistical challenge) then performed to the pre-recorded sound tracks on the site of the earliest Herefordian settlers at the Left Bank Village.

Performances

Return ran as a series of free private tours around The Courtyard from Tuesday 31st August 2021 to Thursday 2nd September 2021.  

The audio tracks are currently available on our YouTube channel and make gorgeous bedtime stories for young children and adults alike.

Crew

Direction – Estelle van Warmelo and Rachel Lambert

Design – Rachel Lambert

Writing – Estelle van Warmelo

Music – Livi van Warmelo

Sound Design – George Kirby, Anthony Murphy and Lord Scudamore Primary

Recorded at The Royal National College for the Blind

Cast

The pupils of Lord Scudamore Primary School and Sutton Sugwas Primary School

Supported by Livi van Warmelo and Billy Lambert