With the generous support of Arts Council England, renowned producer and dance artist Deborah Baddoo and Devon based performance company State of Trust have delved deep into the history of Romantic poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge’s life in the West Country, in particular his stance as an abolitionist. Being a lay preacher, Coleridge often spoke out against the transatlantic slave trade from the pulpit of the Unitarian Chapel in Taunton - a fact which forever links the English countryside, Africa and the Caribbean.

This project develops work done during lockdown in 2021, which resulted in the creation of 5 short dance films (www.stateoftrust.net/coleridge-unbound). This year State of Trust is producing a new dance film with Somerset Film, and a site-specific performance entitled ‘Coleridge Unbound’, at Alfoxton House, Holford near Bridgwater, where Coleridge was a frequent visitor to his friends William and Dorothy Wordsworth in 1798.

‘Coleridge Unbound’ celebrates Coleridge and the landscape of the Quantock Hills, and raises the ghosts of the past through original dance, film, and music performance. Bring a picnic and enjoy an enchanted evening under the stars in the spectacular grounds of Alfoxton Park. The performers are Deborah Baddoo, Bawren Tavaziva, Michael Joseph, and Kay Crook with music by Steve Marshall. The performance will be preceded by a sharing of new work by local young people attending State of Trust’s creative writing and movement workshops which focus on Coleridge and the Abolition.

Tickets: Free + donation. All proceeds towards the restoration of Alfoxton House.

Parking: Available on site or in the lanes leading up to the house.

To get an idea of numbers, please register your interest by email to admin@stateoftrust.net