A gig-theatre show telling the tale of tragic lovers with lively, uplifting music and a six-piece band will be at Exmouth Festival this year.

They will be at Exmouth Festival on Monday, July 31 from 11am. Find out more on the Exmouth Festival website www.exmouthfestival.co.uk

Jack Dean & Company return with their adaptation of Hero & Leander this summer. Based on the Ancient Greek myth, this is a story of star-crossed lovers caught on different sides of the sea, fighting against all odds to be together. Jack’s trademark poetic storytelling is combined with a mix of folk, indie, sea shanties and choral music, played by a band of six multi-instrumentalists.

Each night, Hero signals for Leander to swim to her across the stretch of sea that separates them, but the vengeful God Hephaestus is determined to thwart the lovers’ plans. Touring to a mixture of indoor and outdoor venues, Hero & Leander is designed to adapt to a range of spaces, with some performances taking place in the company’s portable bandstand.

Jack Dean & Company is a disabled-led, artist-owned non-profit set up to help tell stories of how things could be. They collaborate with inspiring and exceptional artists to create work across a range of art forms, with a focus on touring live shows. They are committed to offering people across the UK the chance to dream of a different world, whatever the current one may hold. 

Jack Dean said “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.”