Adverse Camber works with leading UK contemporary storytellers and musicians, producing and touring shows of full-length storytelling for adult audiences.

Artists we have worked with include Stacey Blythe, Shonaleigh Cumbers, Lynne Denman, Amy Douglas, Michael Harvey, Nick Hennessey and Simon Heywood.

The company was set up in 2006 by literature specialist Naomi Wilds and is based in Derby, East Midlands.  Naomi Wilds has seventeen years of experience in arts management and producing, with particular strengths in artist and audience development, commissioning and developing cross-artform collaborations for a range of independent arts organisations and local authority partnerships in addition to Adverse Camber. Her work was recognised by Arts Council East Midlands in 2009 with an Independent Producer bursary, one of only four awarded across the region.

Adverse Camber’s first project was a national tour of The Twisting Field, a story based on Irish mythology, created and performed by Shonaleigh Cumbers, Amy Douglas, Nick Hennessey and Simon Heywood. The piece is unusual in its reach and ambition. It tells the story of the birth of the great Irish hero Lugh Lamfhota  through a combination of four storytellers’ voices and perspectives and through a sequence of original songs composed by Simon Heywood, based on folk traditions, sung by all the artists, accompanied by harp and guitar. In 2006-07, Adverse Camber produced a 22 date tour of the piece to venues across England and Wales.  A creative development period, prior to tour, was led by director Rebecca Gould, music advisor David Lawrence and choreographer Ayo Jones.

Next came The Middle Yard, a sequel to The Twisting Field which also works as a stand-alone story. A story of Lugh’s early adulthood, full of battle, confrontation and betrayal, based on Oidheadh Chloinne Tuireann (The Fate of the Sons of Tuirenn) this piece was created and performed by Nick Hennessey and Simon Heywood. Three original songs were created for the piece by both artists, which are accompanied with harp, guitar and drum. In 2008-09, Adverse Camber supported the artists to create the piece, working with director Rebecca Gould, and produced a 25 date tour to venues across England and Wales.

Adverse Camber’s latest project is Hunting the Giant’s Daughter, created and performed by Michael Harvey (storyteller), Stacey Blythe (composer) and Lynne Denman (singer). This is the oldest surviving Arthurian legend in Welsh, recorded in The Mabinogion as Culhwch ac Olwen. Michael Harvey weaves Welsh poetry around a vibrant, imaginative telling of the tale, together with a delicious mix of traditional Welsh and jazz influenced music created by Stacey Blythe (accordion, harp and piano) and Lynne Denman (voice). The piece, originally commissioned as Culhwch and Olwen by Beyond the Border International Festival, was creatively redeveloped by the artists prior to tour, working with director Paula Crutchlow.  In 2009, Adverse Camber produced a 15 date tour of the piece to venues in England and Wales, with more dates following in 2010 and 2011.

The name Adverse Camber was inspired by a road sign close to Naomi Wilds’ childhood home in Wiltshire. When the camber of the road doesn’t follow the norm, the travellers experience a sense of risk and adventure – we know it’s going to be different, but we don’t know until we travel it what the experience will be like. Adverse Camber works both within and beyond the storytelling infrastructure to connect outstanding creative work with new audiences and partners, building up the economy supporting contemporary storytelling and all those associated with it.

Adverse Camber is very grateful for support from Arts Council England and The National Lottery, together with all the promoters, venues and artists we work with to enable these projects to happen.