The Hatchling in Wakefield City Centre and Pugneys Country Park
Maja Lorkowska, Exhibitions Editor
Something otherworldly is about to appear in Wakefield this summer… The Hatchling is a one-of-a-kind outdoor theatre performance which takes place over an entire weekend before the grand finale on Sunday night. It tells the story of a dragon that hatches from an egg, grows up, roams the city on a journey of discovery before eventually taking flight.
Visitors can join the dragon on her adventure, accompanied by a series of events and performances taking place across the city, prepared especially for The Hatchling’s visit. On Friday, she will hatch at Wakefield Cathedral before taking a look around throughout Friday and Saturday. The finale will take place on Sunday evening at Pugneys Country Park, but not before a whole afternoon of celebrations and activities surrounding the event. Over 20 community groups and 300 participants from across the Wakefield district are taking part in the festivities, including sports clubs, choirs and performers.
If this sounds like a street performance that could easily be missed, did we mention that the fully grown dragon is the size of a bus? In fact, The Hatchling has a wingspan of over 20 metres and is the world’s largest human-operated puppet to fly.
The structure of the creature is a spectacular feat of engineering, resulting from multiple collaborations between different disciplines. Devised by the award-winning creative team at Trigger, the puppet was designed with the help of a palaeontologist and is based on the anatomy of actual dinosaurs and reptiles. Experts in puppetry, kite-flying, set design, hot air balloons, production management, animation and even a ferry company have all been consulted for the project.
The story behind the performance is of key significance too: it is no accident that the creature of the dragon was chosen to symbolise migration, otherness and freedom of movement. Folktales and legends across the globe tell stories of dragons, which are often to be feared in the West, and met with adoration and reverence in the East. The Hatchling’s visit is a story about finding your place in the world and, ultimately, enjoying freedom.
The Hatchling had its World Premiere in Plymouth in 2021, joined in the Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 and will now visit Wakefield as part of the Our Year – Wakefield District 2024 collaboration. Don’t miss this truly spectacular event!
