River Tours

Current Portfolio   Outdoor  

“What makes a river special is what happens on it, along it and in it”

A documentary storytelling series with rivers as it subject. Nothing could be simpler. We commission textile ribbon maps that identify the positions of all bridges, dams, major settlements and confluences. These maps are then used to illustrate guided tours that cover thousands of years of history, beautiful natural history, famous sights and fascinating facts.

The tours are performed in an engaging, friendly style with wit and energy to a live audience.

The Severn

Craig, a Shropshire Lad is ready to float with you down Britain’s longest river. Your journey will be full of wildlife and agriculture, ghosts of an industrial revolution, coracles and trows, cathedrals, taxes and floods. The whole journey is stitched into a beautifully embroidered map waiting for you to jump aboard.

Brilliant…I loved all the jokes, characters and tones of voice…Fabulous

Audience Member (Worcester)

Written and performed by Craig Stephens
Map by: Jo Teague with stitchers from Worcester, Tewkesbury and Shrewsbury
Directed by Craig Stephens with James Yarker
Produced by Nick Sweeting and Lucy Bird

The Indus

The Indus has amazing tales tell. It has been the focus of great history and politics, religion and wildlife. Karan has been eager to undertake an adventure to the river’s source in the Himalayas from his home on its delta since he was nine years old. Join him on this great geographic adventure.

A well produced and acted learning delight!

IJ

Written by: Nafeesa Hamid – with Stan’s Cafe
Map by: Summerfield Project – with Abeda Begum
Performed by: Karan Maini
Directed by: Stan’s Cafe
Winding table by: Infamous Community Arts
Produced by: Dominic Thompson

Tour Dates

  • The Severn
    6 July 2024
    CoCoMad
    Cotteridge Park
    Birmingham

  • 7 July 2024
    Dean Heritage Centre, Soudley

  • 13 July 2024
    Queenswood Country Park, Leominster

  • 24 July 2024
    Tewkesbury Abbey Gardens

  • 27 July 2024
    Worcester Fringe Festival

  • 10 August 2024
    National Waterways Museum, Gloucester

  • 31 August 2024
    Powis Castle and Gardens

  • 27 September
    Number 8 Arts
    Pershore

  • The Lune
    13 April 2024
    Tebay, Penrith

  • 13 April  2024
    Market Square, Lancaster

  • 14 April 2024
    Kirkby Lonsdale

  • 14 April 2024 Halton

  • 20 April 2024
    Sedbergh

  • 20 April (16:00) 2024
    Arkholme Village Hall, Carnforth

  • 21 April (12:30) 2024
    Glasson Dock Marina

  • 21 April 2024
    Second Terrace at Sunderland Point, Morecambe

  • The Indus
    4 November 2023
    Thimblemill Library,
    Smethwick

  • 2 November 2023
    Purbanat, Small Heath

  • 2 November 2023
    St. Paul’s Church, Bordesley Green

  • 1 November 2023
    The Springfield Project,
    Sparkbrook

  • 31 October 2023
    Fletcher’s, Kings Heath

  • 30 October 2023
    The Warehouse
    (Friends of the Earth)

  • 28 October 2023
    Stirchley Baths

  • The Thames
    9 & 10 September 2023
    1st Reading Sea Scouts Boathouse,
    South Street Arts’ Sightlines Season

  • 7 September 2023
    The Isis River Farmhouse, Oxford

  • 6 September 2023
    Norden Farm, Maidenhead

  • 5 September 2023
    Abingdon Abbey Buildings,
    Abingdon on Thames

  • The Lune
    18th March 2023:
    Lancaster Literature Festival
    Storey Insitute, Lancaster

  • The Lune & The Thames
    15th October 2022:
    Beside The Lune, Lancaster

  • The Thames & The Volga
    11th September 2021:
    Cotteridge Park, Birmingham

Wonderful afternoon @CotteridgePark watching @stanscafe tell the story of the Thames and the Volga. Inspirational peformances full of charm and humour , brilliant, mind expanding writing and stunning needlework.

Liz C – Twitter

My friends and I… absolutely loved it, had lots of thoughts on what rivers to do next and insisted we invite them to whatever your next show is.

Karen S

The Thames

This was a real journey – the beautiful writing and telling let me follow in my minds eye the course of the river…Totally enchanting

Audience Member – Reading
Images shows one end of a textile map of the River Thames. The map is made out of brown fabric and running down the middle is a line of green ribbon on which are sewn a narrow string of blue beads representing the river and pieces of clay pipe representing bridges. Various place names along the river are embroidered on the map
Image shows an outdoor performance of the River Thames. In the foreground are the backs of audience members wearing wooly hats and coats. In the background is the performer, standing in front of railings, behind which is the River Lune. The sky is a bit stormy
Image shows a performer trounced over the textile map of the River Thames, gesturing towards a place on the map.
Images shows the faces of audience members, waring hats and scarves. A woman in the centre is smiling.
Image shows the performer lying on grass in a park stretched out along the length of the River Thames fabric map. They are about the same length
Image shows the performer on the edge of the photograph. In the distance are a small group of audience members sitting on grass. Most are wearing T-shirts and all of them are smiling
Image shows the fabric River Thames map laid out on grass. The performer is crouched over it and is explaining something to a young girl. There are also the legs of other people standing around
A close up photograph of the River Thames textile map showing the green ribbon and string of beads which represent the river. Various embroidered place names are also visible, the most probing being Battersea Power Station.

Craig’s storytelling was impeccable

Marc C

Written and performed by Craig Stephens
Map by Vicky Roden
Directed by James Yarker

Stage Manager – Emily Davies
Photographs 1 – 4 – Rich Berry
Photographs 5-8 – Jaskirt Boora
Executive Producer (2021) – Roisin Caffrey
Administrator – Lucy Bird
2023 Tour Producer – Nick Sweeting

With thanks to:
The Friends of Cotteridge Park
Raddlebarn Primary School
Gilda Almeida & Alicia Adams at The John F Kennedy Center, Washington D.C.

The Volga

Image shows a section of the River Volga fabric map. The words The Volga have been embroidered on red fabric and above that fabric paint has been used to show the Volga Delta
The River Volga fabric map is laid out on grass in a park. It is very long. In the foreground crunched at one end of the map is performer Alexi Walker, pointing at the source of the river. In the distance, slightly blurred are audience members standing to watch the performance
A close up of part of the map with the finger of the performer pointing at a bridge made out of small beads. The performer has a very long fingernail painted light blue.
The Volga map crosses the image horizontally in a park. We see the back of the performer who is talking to the audience who are standing. Trees are in the background, the sky looks a bit threatening.
Head and shoulders shot of performer Alexi Walker. She is in the middle of saying something, her brow is furrowed.
A close up of the textile map whowing the river represented with a thin line of blue stitching, with thin lines of green stitching on either side.
An image taken from above by a drone camera. It shows the whole map of the Volga laid out on a paved quayside next to the River Lune. At the bottom of the picture are plants and sand as the river is at low tide. Different coloured fabrics are used to show different sections of the river.

Went down the Volga with @stanscafe … a perfect way to spend a Saturday, art, a lovely audience and a wonderful performance from Elexi.

Lara R – Twitter

Written by James Yarker
Performed by Elexi Walker
Map by Vicky Roden
Directed by James Yarker
Photographs by Jaskirt Boora
(except 1 & 7 by Rich Berry)

The Lune

An aerial picture taken from a drone camera showing the River Lune in Lancaster. The river meanders away into the distance. A number of bridges are visible including a road bridge and a modern suspension footbridge. There are houses on the right bank. The leaves on the trees are beginning to turn yellow and gold. The river level is low exposing sandbanks as it is low tide
Performer Orla Cottingham is stood with her back to the River Lune. In the foreground of the photograph are the backs of the heads of audience members
Performer Orla Cottingham is in the middle of talking to the audience. She has her hands in front of her. In the background is the River and a row of houses. In the foreground are the backs of audience members
A close up of a section of the textile map of the River Lune. The river is represented by a narrow band of blue fabric. The surrounding countryside is represented by fabric paints, blurring shades of green, yellow and orange. There is an embroidered otter and a field of tiny stitched sheep. The names of two locations, Kirkby Lonsdale and Casterton are embroidered onto the map.
A close up of a section of the textile map of the River Lune. The river mouth is represented by different shades of blue fabric and stitching. There are small embroidered birds and fish. In the top left corner is a section of a street map of the town of Lancaster
The performer Orla Cottingham is crouched down with a short stick in her hand pointing at the fabric map of the River Lune. The map is just visible in the photograph between the backs of watching audience members. Behind the performer are black railings and the sandbank of the river
An aerial view of the textile map of the River Lune laid out on the stone slabbed quayside. At the top of the picture is green grass and two people are looking down at the map. At the bottome of the picture a third person is pointing at something in the distance, possibly at something they have seen represented on the map.

Written by Claire Dean
Performed by Orla Cottingham

Textile Team
Lead Designer and Coordinator:
Katrina Barnish
Stitchers and Painters:
Carol Gittins
Enda O’Regan
Gina Frausin
Sian Bowes
Virginia Edwards
With contributions from – Alice Booth, Kiki Callihan, Claire Dean, Masha Gulina and much support from our friends and families.

Directed by James Yarker
Commissioned by Lancaster Arts
Photographs Rich Berry




Liz C – Twitter

Related:

A tick by The Lune

A tick by The Lune

A tick by the Lune

Essay
A tick by the Lune 2022 Essay

People:

Craig Stephens (Associate Director)

James Yarker (Artistic Director)

Karan Maini

Elexi Walker