Jasper Dommett: ALEXANDER... WHY?

Melissa, devastated by her partner Alexander abandoning her, sets on a quest of self-discovery. Over the course of the scene she contemplates on her dependency to Alexander and questions its relevance. Feeling alone, Melissa explores the nature around her and in the 9 months which pass, conjures up images of three seasons reflecting on their meaning to her emotional state and development. By the end of the scene, we see Melissa blossom into a strong independent person who realises she doesn’t need Alexander to be the best version of herself.

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Eloise Gynn: THE MERMAID OF ZENNOR

The Mermaid of Zennor is a Cornish folk tale from the village where I grew up, commemorated in the church by a medieval bench carving of a woman with long flowing hair and a fish tail. For these two opening scenes the story is told from the mermaid’s perspective. 

 

Scene 1: The mermaid Morveren is sitting on a rock, between land and sea, combing her hair. She finds herself alone, washed up in an unfamiliar cove, torn from her family by a storm and comforted by the sound of a beautiful voice on the wind. But the storm and the voice have gone and she is frightened. She speaks of her deep connection to the ocean and her loneliness. Yearning to hear the voice again, she imagines how they will sing together.

 

Scene 2: Morveren hears the voice again. Compelled to find the singer, she decides to leave the sea behind. She makes a dress out of seaweed and pearls to disguise her form and with great effort, makes her way up the river to the church. 

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Rebecca Horrox: PUHPOWEE (from Shiro)

The Mycelial mother SHIRO cradles the forest underworld with her invisible and infinite hyphae fronds. An infinite shapeshifter and alchemic magus she travels through her midnight underworld via her millions of ghostly fronds. Tiny fingers weave remedies and poisons to journey along the most perfect forest-metabolic highway. Blooming as a beautiful mushroom one day she finds herself overawed at a young stag she spies, falling for his swiftness, lightness and gaiety. Angered at her unfamiliar feelings of weakness and fear she vows to take revenge. Whether her unrealised feelings of love will counter the feelings of resentment is an unknown.

 

Using psilocybin to tame the wild fawn Shiro transforms into a large sculptural mushroom bloom the shape of the deep larynx of the fawn and releases spores tricking the fawn into thinking Shiro is a doe. Lured by her scent the fawn accidentally inhales her psychedelic spores.  

 

Spending a warm summer afternoon intoxicated together Shiro is a doe, free and born of light. The enlightened young stag Pan is able to communicate with all the living beings of the forest through Shiro’s shared consciousness. Together they are as one, enlivened by the intertwining spoils of the underworld and highest energetic realms.

 

Unbeknown to them both a hunter spots them in the forest and fires a shot at the fawn. Startled, he runs away into the depths of the forest, the magical connection broken. Grief stricken, Shiro sweeps across the forest, her myriad network pulsing through the earth. Eventually, she finds her fawn injured in the undergrowth and weaves an intricate shawl, enshrining his injured flesh with a new translucent skin. Staunching the blood flow Shiro herself enters his body. Her fronds gently enclose around his heart and organs protecting him from any future harm. To look at this immortal new King of the forest you would only guess his new found synergy from the silver lychen growing on his fur and the polyphonic song he sings at the end of every summer.

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Aria: Puhpowee
Shiro has transformed into a huge glistening, pulsing, fruiting body of a mycelium mushroom, the shape of the larynx of a red deer; the only known species to share a vocal trait with humans, the descended larynx. With clashing feelings of pride for whom she is and yearning for whom she isn’t, she lures the unsuspecting creature to her mossy knoll.