Hull's Metamorphoses

Hull’s Metamorphoses is an online walking performance taking place throughout the city of Hull. Using GPS and Audio AR using the Echoes app, the first year Drama and Theatre Practice students from the University of Hull have undertaken a project in which we have written five monologues, accompanied by immersive soundscapes, that have been inspired by our research and study of Ovid's Metamorphoses, as well as the history of Hull. The performance blends sections of Ovid’s Metamorphoses with current and historical tales of transformation within the city of Kingston-upon-Hull.

The areas of Hull's history that we chose to explore are: The plague of 1603, the witch trials of 1604, the fishing industry, Hull's expedition against pirates and Hull Castle. For each of the topics, we chose to focus on the changes that the city has experienced and interweave these with Hull in the present day, and thus emphasise the importance of the city's ability to overcome the challenges it faces. We wanted to create a piece that the people of Hull could connect to and engage with meaningfully, and we hope to create a sense of pride and hope within our audience.

We especially wanted to focus on creating work that was uplifting and positive, as having experienced the traumatic and devastating impacts of Covid-19, we sought to make something that would utilise the benefits of the arts and combat the loneliness and social isolation that we have all felt during these uncertain times. By doing this, we wish to show that no matter what adversities we face in life, we will be able to remain strong and overcome them.