Support our work
Current project:
The Blue Margin
“The Blue Margin follows the story of Connie; a teenager sent away from the city after a series of cataclysmic storms, heralded by a ghostly omen.
In a twist of fate, she finds herself trapped in an alternate Abbotsbury: The Margins. Why has Connie been brought there, and will she ever find her way back home?”
The Blue Margin is Outland’s first film; an extended version of our 2023 promenade performance The Song of Home.
We are extremely excited about this venture, which sees us moving into more experimental terrain. Footage and field recording captured during the performance of The Song of Home led to a screenplay and storyboard for The Blue Margin, which we completed filming in 2024. The film will also include new music that responds to the folk songs and composition included in the theatrical production. In doing so, rather than simply producing a “film of an opera”, we are playing with form and process to create something distinct.
We expect the results to plunge the audience into a mesmeric dream-world, seen through the eyes of our protagonist.
We are now asking for your help to finish the film before Christmas.
COCO BARWELL
TIM LAYCOCK
ALYS MERERID ROBERTS
NATHAN MERCIECA
Produced by: Outland Opera
Directed by: Ruth Knight
Director of Photography: Christopher Braime
Screenplay: Anna Rose-Prynn and Ruth Knight
Costume design by: Jennifer Gregory
With music by: Tom Floyd
Sound by: Joe Bolger
Please donate.
Every donation makes a difference.
Those donating £25 or more will be invited to attend Outland’s December screening of The Blue Margin at the Tithe Barn in Abbotsbury (see below).
Those donating £100 or more will have their name included in the credits of the film.
What does Outland do?
We perform music theatre in rural places
We promote ‘endangered myths’ from the places and communities where we perform, celebrating UK heritage and keeping the oral tradition alive!
We create work with and for local people and communities
We bring professional musicians outside of London in a bid to decentralise arts provision!
We want our work to generate excitement about the arts, encourage community cohesion, and reduce rural isolation.
We are a registered charity (No. 1194099)!
“…this project is distinctive in aligning opera with oral cultures and site-specific performance in a way that should be both artistically innovative and will serve the need for cultural access in less populated areas of the country.”
Why is our work so important?
We work in places with lower access to the arts than elsewhere in the country - Outland Opera has found that, amongst those whom we have already engaged through our initial R&D work, most have never seen an opera, with over 60% saying that they need to travel for an hour or more to access arts events.
Arts access makes people healthier and happier - The cultural, economic, and mental health benefits of arts engagement are well-documented (Harter, 2007; Hibbin, 2016; Tilden, 2014). The most recent data shows that 1 in 5 people in Dorset are at risk of loneliness, which is expected to increase in the next 20 years. Loneliness increases the risk of mortality by between 26%-50%. It also increases the likelihood of developing of coronary heart disease, stroke, and dementia, for which loneliness is as severe a risk factor as diabetes, hypertension and physical inactivity. By placing physical community at the heart of our work, we provide opportunities for people to meet each other and work together, reinforcing a sense of belonging and community cohesion. Promoting local history and stories highlight a common experience for members of the community: that they all share a love for the same place.
“I just want to say how much we enjoyed the evening, especially the stories of the old days - they really opened up the village for us in a way that’s not been possible before”
What do we spend your money on?
People: 90% of the money that Outland receives is spent on paying our arts professionals for their time - that’s our singers, composers, writers, designers and instrumentalists! It’s becoming more and more difficult for artists to earn a living in the UK… and we think that’s really sad! Not least because without professional artists producing professional-quality work, the rest of us can’t enjoy the proven benefits associated with better arts provision.
Post-production: We’re excited to say that our film almost ready to be screened! We shot the initial scenes whilst our performers were on site at Abbotsbury in December 2023. We are now looking for additional funding to cover editing and sound design for the film.
Care Home screenings: In rural locations, many elderly people are living on a low-middle income and can be extremely isolated. Accessing the arts can be very challenging due to disability or a lack of access to transport. This group is often also digitally excluded, which means they are unlikely to access our work online. We are therefore working with Dorset Council, Care South and Care Dorset in planning a series of care home screenings in Dorset with an accompanying live concert performance from local folk legend, Tim Laycock.
“The creative exercises really made me believe that I could write something myself - very clever!””
With thanks to our supporters:
The Alice Ellen Cooper Dean Charitable Trust
The Valentine Trust
The Elmgrant Trust
Ilchester Estates
What was The Song of Home?
The Song of Home was a live promenade performance that we created in partnership with English Heritage. The performance was free-of-charge, and took place on 17th December 2023. We hit 80% of our maximum capacity for this intimate show, which took place in four venues across Abbotsbury, including the iconic St Catherine’s Chapel.
In light of the cost of living crisis, we wanted this festive event to be open to everyone, regardless of their income - this is why we didn’t charge for tickets! We were absolutely blown away by the generosity of local people, trusts, and audience members who participated in our appeal and enabled the performance to take place.
The next step was for us is to produce a short, stand-alone film based on the live show… but with lots of exciting new material! The purpose of the film was to reach those with access issues who could not attend the performance, and to ensure that people further afield are able to enjoy the work of the fantastic artists involved - this is not just a film of the live performance, but its own artistic product!
We started work in December 2023 with the filmmaker Christopher Braime of Studio Falkland Lodge. As well as two public screenings, we plan to distribute the film to Dorset care homes in Christmas 2024.
You can be sure than even a tiny contribution can make a huge difference to us!
“Thank you again for the most wonderful performance. We absolutely loved it, the voices, the locations [and] the story!”