The Hatchling offers unique spectacle Love blossoms on the buses for Chris and Fiona
STANDING at over 6.5 metres tall, The Hatchling is the largest puppet ever to be solely human operated – and, this August, it will soar above the streets of Plymouth.
In an ‘extraordinary outdoor performance’ aiming to bring a universal myth to life, it will roam through the city before taking flight in a feat of artistry and engineering.
Designed in collaboration with a palaeontologist, it will surpass the size of the prehistoric pterosaur on which it is based.
The puppet is constructed from super-lightweight carbon fibre, weighing less than a piece of hand luggage, allowing it to be operated by a team of 36 puppeteers working in rotation in groups of 15. Created by a team of immersive theatre makers, puppetry specialists and kite flyers, the event aims to bring people together to celebrate freedom, following a year of isolation.
The world premiere of The Hatchling, which is free to attend, will invite the public to take to the streets and accompany the puppet on its two-day journey. The performance has been created with 25 partners, including three key partners: Mayflower 400, Plymouth City Council and Arts Council England.
Upon hatching, the puppet will explore its surroundings, stopping traffic as its curiosity takes it through the city and it meets the public.
At sunset on Sunday, August 15, it will undertake a metamorphosis into a kite, unfolding its wings, spanning over 20 metres. Flying from a cliff top, it will soar into the sky and across the sea in a spectacle featuring lighting design by Mat Daw and a choral score by Ruth Chan.
The Hatchling was conceived by Angie Bual, the artistic director of Bristol-based community interest company Trigger, the creators of the ‘dragon’ puppet.
Angie was inspired by the dragon as a global symbol. While found in stories in ancient cultures around the world, the dragon is revered and respected in eastern mythology but often considered menacing in western folklore.
The event is intended to bring together people from all walks of life to participate in a shared experience, opening up conversations around migration and freedom of movement – the essence of the voyage of the
Mayflower four centuries ago. The project is a collaboration between a team of leading UK creatives including Mervyn Millar, part of the original creative team behind the acclaimed cinema production War Horse, and Carl Robertshaw, a designer who has created sets for the London 2012 Olympic Games ceremonies, collaborated with pop artists including Ellie Goulding and Kylie, and is a five-times sport kite world champion.
Angie said: “We’re thrilled to be bringing The Hatchling, which has been six years in the making, to life this August.
“This show is a love letter to the city, and has been created with the support of partners across Plymouth from industry, academia, sport, culture and more.
“Plymouth will become a world stage for an event that celebrates the talent and energy of the people who live there.”
AROMANTIC Exeter bus driver decided to surprise his partner and colleague with a special bus bearing a ‘Will You Marry Me? display.
Chris Oakley proposed to fellow driver Fiona Smith on Tuesday, after a recent health scare made him release that time is too precious to waste.
Having hoped to take Fiona abroad for the special occasion, but unable to do so due to Covid-19 restrictions, Chris dreamed up the idea of getting down on one knee at the place they had first met – the Stagecoach bus depot at Matford in Exeter.
Chris joined Stagecoach in 2016, and Fiona started in 2019. They began their relationship not long after Fiona became a driver at the Exeter depot.
When asked how they first met, they recalled that Fiona had been assigned a shift on the Exeter City E and F routes, which are operated by Optare Solos, the company’s fleet of minibuses.
Despite the rigorous training all new Stagecoach drivers complete, Fiona still was not sure about some of the elements of the route.
Chris kindly stepped in, and they swapped shifts for the day.
Later, he spent time with her to go over the routes she had been worried about, and eventually love blossomed.
Chris admitted: “I knew within six months that she was the one!”
He revealed that after a recent health scare he could not wait any longer to propose.
Revealing the effort and organisation it took to make sure the proposal was kept under wraps, Chris said he firstly spoke to the depot’s operations manager, James Mooney, to make sure the company would be happy for the event to take place onsite.
He planned to surprise Fiona when she signed on for her duty on Tuesday morning, but as he was meant to be on holiday that day he had to arrange a cover story that would explain why he was going into work in his uniform.
He arranged with Exeter controller Adam Jones to ‘invent’ a training course that required him to attend work that day, so Fiona would not be suspicious of the plan.
The effort Chris and his friends at Stagecoach went to certainly paid off because Fiona said she is ‘on cloud nine’ after the romantic gesture, and had ‘no idea at all’ that Chris was planning the surprise.
Thankfully, it was a happy ending, but Chris said that he ‘was petrified’ in the build-up to the proposal.
With the proposal taking place at work, there were a lot of drivers signing on for their duty and the event got everyone’s attention.
Fiona said: “We’re so happy that this has brightened everyone’s spirits, particularly as the pandemic has been so hard on us all.”
Chris thanked everybody who played a part in the surprise and revealed that he had kept the group of people in the know very small, and that it had been very difficult to keep the event under wraps.