MED Theatre’s community play ‘Rocks’ put Dartmoor’s unique tors centre stage. MED Theatre toured ‘Rocks’ in March 2019, taking in Manaton, Cornwood, Meldon and Moretonhampstead village halls. ‘Rocks’ is a futuristic comedy written by playwright and MED Theatre’s Artistic Director Mark Beeson specifically for the local community cast and explores current issues such as artificial intelligence, surveillance and nuclear waste. As well as taking in crystal healing and current theories from the philosophy of consciousness, the play also looks backward in charting Dartmoor’s geological history down the ages. Rocks is part of MED Theatre’s three year programme of work with rural communities called ‘Moor Connections’, funded by the National Lottery Community Fund.
The year is 2050, and the Mayor of Dartmoor, now ostensibly an independent state but controlled by The Authorities, attempts to lead his citizens despite the presence of an ever-watchful surveillance system. Ian, the CEO of National Energy, has found himself having to embrace the idea of nuclear waste storage in Dartmoor’s granite, after the wind turbines he had espoused were objected to – specifically by his wife who has grown to love the clear skylines of her holiday home. But suppose Dartmoor’s granite has rights, and does not like the thought of having highly radioactive nuclear waste thrust into it? This at least is what young Dartmoor resident Calliope believes as she watches the sunset from a tor, supported for different reasons by geology graduate Astel and his young protégé Jason, crystal therapist Mandarn, and Lana a girl who claims to be from another planet…
The dates of the performances were: