All The Moor’s A Stage

Tucked away off the main road in Moretonhampstead is a studio with a long and far-reaching story. This is the multipurpose hub of MED Theatre, which during the day works as an office, and in the evening as a rehearsal space for for even more long and far-reaching stories to be told. 

MED Theatre – registered as a charity in 1989 under its full name Manaton and East Dartmoor Theatre – was founded by Dartmoor poet and playwright Mark Beeson to give a voice to Dartmoor’s culture and inhabitants, and to champion the uniqueness of the area. 

 ‘The idea came while observing monkeys’

Mark grew up on a farm in Manaton and, whilst always a writer at heart, trained as a primatologist - studying blue monkeys in Malawi’s Zomba Plateau. Many who knew him also know the story behind MED’s origins: how the idea of setting up an intergenerational community theatre on Mark’s native, rural Dartmoor came to him whilst observing generations of monkeys getting down from their trees in order to gather and interact in their own meeting places. 

Throughout his entire life Mark observed and interpreted the interactions between the human and the non-human lives. This provided an endless resource behind the more than 40 plays he wrote, and what kept MED Theatre on its course. 

MED Theatre has for over 30 years created creative productions such as plays, music, film, and dance. All new, original work; all inspired by Dartmoor’s rich history, alluring myths, and distinctive nature.

By utilising local material, MED Theatre continues to change people’s attitude towards an area like Dartmoor. This is not just a tourist destination, a retirement village, or a wildlife reserve. People live here, children grow up, and local economies function – side by side and as part of nature.

 “My view has always been to tell and show young people that there is something serious here. That they don’t need to go away in order to do something serious. Dartmoor is full of material and opportunity. We want to inspire the local community, especially its young people, to see its rural environment not as restricting and isolating, but as a resource.” Mark Beeson

Mark Beeson sadly passed away in February 2022. He left a huge legacy of work, research, and an arts organisation that now employs 5 professional staff. Under the leadership of Abby Stobart, MED Theatre continues to view Dartmoor as a place that is thoroughly intriguing, full of stories and drama – and presents it as such to the increasing number of participants who attend their weekly drama sessions. 

 ‘Young people are at the heart of what it does’

Creative work with young people growing up in rural hard-to-reach areas has become the very heart of what MED Theatre does. Currently, MED Theatre runs 6 regular drama groups for children and young people on Dartmoor (Moretonhampstead, Chagford, and Princetown) and 3 groups in Braunton, North Devon. These young people, aged 5-19, will hear local stories as inspiration, will be supported to undertake their own research, and then utilise these to produce their own stories, performances, scripts, radio plays, and films they produce. 

The other flagship MED activity continues to be intergenerational community plays, where local people of all ages come together to write, research and produce creative work inspired by issues that matter to them, and then perform these back to their communities. MED Theatre has been touring community plays across Dartmoor village halls and outdoor venues, always written with and for the performers taking part, ever since 1980 when Mark Beeson wrote his first MED Theatre play, The Badgers, about encounters between humans and animals against the backdrop of the ministry’s badger culling policy to prevent spread of Bovine TB. 

 ‘Life on the moors is never free from risk’

With such a long history of engaging, supporting and offering professional training for local people, MED Theatre has started to see the results of its work in very real terms. Young people who have participated in its groups and who have then gone off to study or travel are returning to work with MED as part of its staff or as freelance practitioners. Offering high quality opportunities free-of-charge for all backgrounds as an ethos has produced a steady stream of supporters for the organisation itself. 

 Life on the moors is never free from risks and despite being a stable part of Dartmoor life, MED Theatre should not be taken for granted. Being a charity offering services free-of-charge comes with its drawbacks when times are tight. The costs for running an organisation are high, and grant-giving partners are more stretched than ever. Yet the stories MED Theatre could tell will go on forever…

Suvi Rehell

 Jess Wynn-Jones, BBC journalist, a voiceover artist, a singer and MED Theatre’s Chair, says: “MED Theatre’s been a big part of my life for 30 years. I first met Mark Beeson, our much-missed founder, when he ran creative writing sessions at my local village school. He really believed in giving young people a voice and always said theatre’s for everyone. I joined the cast of the annual community play, Monkey Rock. Everyone was incredibly supportive of the youngest participants. I quickly learned that it was all about the ensemble and every person counts.

Fast forward a few years and several community plays later, and I’d been given opportunities to write, direct, sing, dance and make films. I became a Youth Representative and when I turned 18, joined the Board. MED inspired me to study Music & Drama at University. The organisations’ biggest strengths are its inclusivity, creativity and affordability. Everyone is welcome.”

MED Theatre is committed to keep offering free-of-charge high-quality creative activities in rural areas. To support this work, please visit www.medtheatre.co.uk and find out how you can contribute, join our activities, become a MED friend, and where to come see our shows. Alternatively, you can do what the locals do, and knock on our door and come in for a cuppa and a chat!

MED Theatre will be touring a community play to Manaton, Winkleigh, Buckfast, and Moretonhampstead in March 2024. For tickets and more information, visit the website.