After delighting audiences of all ages on a 2021 UK tour, Jack Dean & Company are back with their gig-theatre retelling of the Greek myth Hero & Leander, staged in their own bandstand.
The love story is performed through songs inspired by folk, indie, sea shanties and choral music, by six multi-instrumentalists who create tragic atmosphere and stormy seas with cello, violin, guitars, trumpet, percussion and an accordion.
Two towns, one rich and one poor, stand separated by a narrow strip of ocean. When the borders close and ships stop sailing between them, two lovers are left stranded on either side. Unphased, Leander takes to swimming across the channel to meet Hero, guided by the light of the lighthouse where she lives. But the jealous and vengeful God Hephaestus, carrying an ancient grudge, plots to separate them with a flood like neither town has ever seen.
Writer and company founder Jack Dean said “Last year’s tour took in a wild sweep of venues, from back gardens to car parks to big top festival tents. Hero and Leander is an old, bittersweet story about love, death and the infinite mystery of the sea. We filled the score out with sea shanties, lush indie orchestration and melodic folk. It’s kind of an ode to a disappeared England, and I also think it will speak to anyone who’s done something a bit daft and over-the-top for someone they loved when they were young. We’re bringing it out on the road again to see who wants to sing, dance and cry with us this year. ”
Jack Dean & Company is a non-profit organisation set up to help portray stories of how things could be. They collaborate with inspiring and exceptional artists to create new work across many artforms. Founded by Jack Dean in 2020, they are committed to offering people across the UK the chance to dream of a different world, whatever the current one may hold.
Unlimited Festival at the Southbank Centre celebrates the artistic vision and creativity of disabled artists. Featuring outstanding dance, performance, comedy, music and visual art, the biennial festival showcases ambitious creative projects by disabled artists and companies. We’ve been presenting the Unlimited festival since 2012 in partnership with the Unlimited commissioning fund. The festival showcases new commissions, bespoke one off events and existing work. By using the term ‘disabled artist’ our festival includes work by artists who identify as being disabled, D/deaf, neurodivergent and those experiencing chronic illness, mental health conditions, and more. We understand that different people prefer different terminology and we subscribe to the social model of disability.
