Once Upon A Time in Fenland

These fantastical, funny and thought-provoking tales will transport you back in time

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On tour now

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Fenland map prehistory

"Story-telling, music, songs and humour...with a focus on Fenland history and folklore.""

— Deborah Curtis, City of Cambridge Council on 'Legends of the Fen'

Travel back in time to the Romans and then even further into pre-history.

Artefacts from the most important archaeological dig in Northern Europe reveal stories of migration and tribulation told by an intrepid team of archaeologists. Featuring 3000-year-old objects and footprints from nearly a million years ago, these fantastical, funny and thought-provoking tales will transport you back through the ages to deep time when Fenland was joined to Europe and survival was the order of the day.

Using stories written by over 250 children from across Fenland and developed in collaboration with the Cambridge Archaeological Unit and Wisbech and Fenland Museum, this show mixes fact and fiction and asks what are the common threads that lead us to where we are now.

The show, featuring animation and NIE’s ensemble of actor/musicians, will be performed in a yurt with a mix of bench seating for adults and sitting on the floor for children.

This is a new iteration of our “Tales from the Edge of Town” project connecting our work to the wider region.

Suitable for ages 8+

Produced by NIE

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Press

“I feel Fenland has loads of cool stories. I feel I belong because my ancestors were here as well”

– Year 5 audience member and workshop Participant

 

“Lovely to have involved children and history in a local context”

– Audience member

 

“This is a wonderful way to engage with museum material, including in the context of the landscape around us.”

– Lucy Walker, Trustee for Museum of Cambridge

On Legends of the Fen

Credits

Director Michael Judge

Cast Nathalie Codsi, Valentina Ceschi, Ryan Gilmartin, Greg Hall, Linda Scaramella. Supported by Eva Cotton

Composer Greg Hall

Illustrator Tonka Uzu

Visual Artist Hilary Cox Condron

Animation Lizzy Hobbs

Producer Ruth Carter-Moore

Production team: Ash Day, Simon Perkins, River Ross