THE Howling, a play set in contemporary times but taking its lead from The Hound of the Baskervilles, is being performed around Dartmoor this month.

MED Theatre, a company based in the national park, will be performing the play at Manaton on March 10 and 11; Buckfast on March 14; Lydford March 16; and Moretonhampstead on March 17 and 18. All performances start at 7.30pm.

Suvi Rehell, of the company said: ‘Wolves once roamed the forests of Dartmoor and their echo has left dark imprints on local myths, and provoked rumours of black dogs throughout history, including the stories that sparked Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s famous novel The Hound of the Baskervilles.

‘The Howling takes a lead from The Hound of the Baskervilles, but the play is set in contemporary times and explores issues around re-wilding, combined with the latest research into the Dartmoor myths and history that inspired author Arthur Conan Doyle and his co-creator Bertram Fletcher Robinson.’

The play centres around the enigmatic figure of Richard Cabell, who was Lord of Brook Manor near Buckfastleigh in the aftermath of the English Civil War. After his death he acquired a dubious reputation as a vampire.

Suvi added: ‘When an American claiming descent from Richard Cabell comes to a Dartmoor community with his English wife, in search of his roots, he encounters more than he bargained for.’

MED Theatre has been touring community plays written by artistic director and playwright Mark Beeson for three decades.

The Howling includes scenes written by three members of MED Theatre’s Young Company, and is part of MED’s 18-month project The Hound of the Baskervilles and the Last Wolf on Dartmoor, supported by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

For more information see www.medtheatre.co.uk