By Liz Pickering, Creative Director, Wild Rumpus
Wild Rumpus is a collective of dreamers and doers, artists, curators, and producers who believe in the transformative power of nature and play. Through enchanting worlds and evocative stories, we inspire joy and spark behaviour change, building a regenerative future where creativity thrives hand in hand with the world around us.
Rooted in optimism and collaboration, our work asks deep questions while leaving space for wonder. Nature connection and play lie at the heart of our practice, and is realised through a diverse range of projects and commissions, events and festivals, and once again in our partnership with Battersea Arts Centre.
The Holly King and the Oak King: A Folk Tale Reimagined
This year, we proudly unveiled The Holly King and the Oak King, a co-production with Battersea Arts Centre that spins an ancient folk tale into a modern-day call to action. At its heart, this is a story of balance—an eternal battle between two kings who divide dominion over the seasons. Traditionally, the Holly King ushers in winter, while the Oak King reigns over summer, creating a natural harmony.
But in our reimagining, something has gone awry. The Oak King has ruled unchallenged for a hundred years, and summer has stretched endlessly. The once-lush land wilts under the weight of imbalance, and the world cries out for change.
This isn’t just a story. It’s an invitation to children and families to step into the tale as agents of change. Through interactive play and creative exploration, they help the characters find solutions, rediscover balance, and confront the urgent themes of climate change and protest.
A Cultural Collaboration for Change
Building on the success of 2023’s Solstice, in 2024 we deepened our creative process and embedded themes which inspire us from the rich heritage of Battersea Arts Centre. The project draws on their history of political and social justice, weaving these themes into a thrillingly visceral experience that empowers young audiences to imagine and enact a better future together.
Our focus has been on crafting a space where children’s voices can lead the narrative. We believe in nurturing the next generation of changemakers by showing them that their actions matter—that they can dream boldly, act creatively, and make a tangible impact on the world around them.
The Power of Storytelling in Nature
The journey to The Holly King and The Oak King began with a walk through the rolling Cheshire countryside, where Wild Rumpus Founder & Director Rowan Cannon and I first sketched the story’s arc and scenes. Finalised amidst the beauty of our woodland workspace, the narrative grew organically, its seeds firmly set within our vision to increase opportunities for ‘Permission to play’, and our mission to connect more of us with nature.
This process fostered an unbounded creativity that shaped every aspect of the production. By returning to the story’s origins in Celtic and pagan traditions, we connected deeply to its essence, ensuring our retelling stayed true to its spirit while addressing the challenges of the 21st century.
Crafting an Immersive World
Our creative process was built on a well-established foundation of experience in world-building, storytelling, design, performance, and creating immersive environments. For this project we worked with a Theatre Director and an extended creative team, which was a new and exciting experience for the organisation.
Firstly we researched and developed a small scale show for audiences at our annual Just So Festival, this allowed us to create and test ideas, providing a plethora of experiences and learning with regards to how we approached building the show, moving audiences, creating a world and keeping the relevance.
The creative concept was built by Rowan and I, creating the narrative framework for the devising process to begin. The writing and devising process was led by director Hal Chambers, with dramaturgical insights from Ginni Manning, and an extraordinary creative team, The Holly King and The Oak King emerged as a richly layered experience. From Benjamin Hudson’s evocative sound design to the atmospheric lighting by Greg Akehurst and Andrew Croft, every element has been meticulously crafted to immerse audiences in the world of the two kings.
The cast, including Aimee Louise Bevan, Jack Reilly, Julia-Hetta Johnson, and Shaelee Rooke, brought the story to life with energy and authenticity. Devised on-site at BAC, their performances invited the audience into the narrative as co-creators, ensuring the story’s resolution belonged to everyone present.
A Vision for the Future
At Wild Rumpus, we’ve long been fascinated by the intersection of nature, storytelling, and play. This production allowed us to expand our creative horizons, delving deeper into narrative and character development while collaborating with open hearts and a diverse creative team to create a unique show which inspires its young audience.
The lessons we’ve learned from weaving testing time into our process, to exploring the intersections of immersive world-building through performance, design, play and nature, will inform our future work. As we move forward, we’re committed to creating experiences that inspire not only joy and wonder but also meaningful change.
A Call to Play, Protest, and Protect
The Holly King and The Oak King is more than a show. It’s a creative protest, a joyful rallying cry for balance, and a testament to the power of artistic collaboration. Through the lens of an ancient tale, we invite audiences to confront the pressing realities of climate change, to embrace the urgency of protest, and to dream of a brighter future.
At its core, this project reflects Wild Rumpus’s belief in the transformative potential of play in nature. We’ve built something important —a space where culture, heritage, and the environment intertwine, sparking ideas and inspiring action.
Our hope is that this story lingers long after the lights dim, leaving audiences with not only memories of joy, but also the seeds of change.
REVIEWS
The Stage, December 2024