Hull’s Metamorphoses

University of Hull Drama and Theatre Practice students collaborate in isolation to develop Hull’s Metamorphoses, an online geo-located walking performance and tour that explores the different areas of Hull’s history.

Hull’s Metamorphoses is a University of Hull student led project consisting of an online walking performance along with a curated trans-historical audio journey that takes place throughout the city of Hull for audiences to explore and discover Hull’s hidden past. Using GPS and Audio AR using the free Echoes app, first year Drama and Theatre Practice students have written five monologues, accompanied by immersive soundscapes, that have been inspired by their research and study of Ovid’s Metamorphoses, as well as the history of Hull. The performance blends sections of Ovid’s Metamorphoses with current and historical tales of transformation within the city of Kingston-upon-Hull. This project was taught, created and produced entirely in isolation, using a number of online platforms and socially distanced recording procedures.

The areas of Hull’s history that the student team chose to explore are: The plague of 1603, the witch trials of 1604, the fishing industry, Hull’s expedition against pirates and the Civil War of 1642. For each of the topics, the student team chose to focus on the changes that the city has experienced and interweave these with Hull in the present day, and thus emphasise the importance of the city’s ability to overcome the challenges it faces. The student team wanted to create a piece that the people of Hull could connect to and engage with meaningfully to help create a sense of pride and hope within their audience.

The student team especially wanted to focus on creating work that was uplifting and positive. Having experienced the traumatic and devastating impacts of Covid-19, the student team sought to make something that would utilise the benefits of the arts and combat the loneliness and social isolation that everyone has felt during these uncertain times. By doing this, the student team wish to show that no matter what adversities we face in life, we will be able to remain strong and overcome them.

Student Team:

Harvey Medlicott-Revell (Director/Voice Actor/Writer/Sound Designer/Scenographer)

Abigail Waud (Director/Writer)

Holly Richards (Voice Actor/Director)

Daisy Bradshaw (Voice Actor/Technical Team)

Finlay Butler (Voice Actor/Technical Team)

Katrina Shiell (Writer/Production Manager/Documentation Manager)

Lauryn Wiley (Copyright Manager/Risk Assessor)

Jacob Rawcliffe (Writer/Cartographer)

Lucy Ingamells (Actor/Director)

Aaron Burley (Writer/Director)

Dylan Conlon-Morrey (Performer/Ethics)

Andromeda Atkins (Sound Designer)

Rhyen-Lee Miller (Scenographer)

Isabella Haines (Writer)

Ellie Welsh (Sound Technician)

Elizabeth Nixon (Sound Technician)

Alexander Dernie-Richardson (Research & Development)

Summer Rawlinson (Scenographer)

Hope Howarth (Scenographer)

Jenny Sims (Voice Actor)

Lydia Barrett (Sound Designer/Technician/Production Manager)

Mia Jackson (Writer/Dramaturg)

Sophie Woollams (Technical Manager)

To install and learn more about Hull’s Metamorphoses, please visit the Hull’s Metamorphoses Echoes webpage. For more information about the student team and the project documentation of Hull’s Metamorphoses, please visit the Hull’s Metamorphoses website.

*Please note that this project was following relevant social distancing guidelines released by the Government.