KIDS | PREVIEWS

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ECO-PUPPETRY THE WHIRLYBIRD North Edinburgh Arts, Sat 6 Apr; Platform, Glasgow, Tue 16 Apr; and touring

In an era when fears about the environment are increasingly taking centre stage, it makes sense that audiences who will live with the consequences children are suitably informed. Formed in 2007, Eco Drama has been a frontrunner in creating work for young people that makes caring about the world fun, with its latest production, The Whirlybird, about to tour Scotland as part of the Puppet and Animation Festival. ‘Our productions are more than just educational theatre about a

topic, like recycling for example,’ explains company founder, Emily Reid. ‘Instead, we work on the premise that children have a natural curiosity and wonder for nature, and that theatre can nurture this, particularly at a time when the technological world has enlarged in importance. After an Eco Drama performance, if the audience feels a renewed sense of wonder and connection to nature, then we’ve achieved our goal.’ The company also practises what it preaches, touring Scotland in a

van run on 100% recycled vegetable oil, and ensuring its set and props are sustainably sourced. But it’s in the subtlety of its themes that Reid hopes Eco Drama can make a real difference, especially as touring to nurseries and primary schools is a large part of the company’s remit. ‘The Whirlybird is about finding inspiration in nature,’ says Reid. ‘After its many failed attempts to fly, it finally finds inspiration in the sycamore seed also known as the helicopter seed which it sees spinning and flying through the air. As children aged 3-7 enter nursery and primary school for the first time, and may feel the pressures associated with “fitting in”, we wanted to encourage them to feel confident in who they are, to show them it’s important to try and fail, and that it’s OK to do things outside the norm. So our central bird character is celebrated not only for doing things a bit differently, but for being connected to nature.’ (Kelly Apter)

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INFLATABLE FUN LABYRINTH CHALLENGE Dalkeith Country Park, Sat 4 & Sun 5 May

'Dalkeith Country Park is such a beautiful place to visit, so we’re really trying to engage with as many families as possible,’ says Nicola Campbell, the park’s PR manager. Part of that engagement is the weekend-long arrival of Labyrinth Challenge, the world’s longest inflatable obstacle course. ‘We’ve got lots of activities going on around it,’ she says, ‘it’ll be a real family day.’ The labyrinth sounds like a unique experience: think Crystal Maze blended with Total Wipeout. The main labyrinth is 1000-feet long, with themed zones (Jungle, Lava, Ocean and so on) and lots of bespoke challenges and obstacles. It’s aimed at ages ten and over, adults included, although there is another 200-feet mini-labyrinth for kids aged five to nine.

Around the park, there will be activities accompanying the labyrinth, with a DJ

and food stalls. A ticket also allows visitors into Fort Douglas adventure playground and its Sky Maze. Bookable in hour slots, the course is set up so that groups can compete against each other; it’s suitable for older families, but also squads of friends, fancy-dress teambuilders and so on. The park is part of the Buccleuch estate, so there are cycling and walking tracks to be enjoyed, too. ‘There are lots of interactive areas in the labyrinth that you can run and slide and jump through,’ explains Campbell of the main attraction. ‘It’s just a lot of fun, and it’s not about who’s fittest or quickest, it’s just about enjoying yourself.’ (David Pollock)

86 THE LIST 1 Apr–31 May 2019

PRE-SCHOOL DANCE GROW Platform, Glasgow, Wed 17 Apr; The Brunton, Musselburgh, Wed 1 May; and touring

You know your first show is a success, when you start getting ‘second album fear’ which is exactly what Anna Newell is feeling right now. Already a seasoned director of theatre for young people, Four Go Wild in Wellies was her first foray into integrated dance, when she worked with Glasgow-based company Indepen- dance 4. A big hit both at home and abroad, the show was also Indepen-dance’s debut attempt at a show for under 5s, and was such a success they’ve invited Newell back. Whereas Four Go Wild . . . had a very autumnal feel, new production Grow finds spring in the air. ‘It started life with a whole other title, but what emerged during the rehearsal process was a show about springtime,’ explains Newell. ‘And I don’t want to give too much away, but it starts from a tiny little seed poking out of a mound of earth and then very playfully, the actors kind of become those seed pots and grow, blossom and flower.’

One of the most endearing aspects of Four Go Wild . . . was the sense of discovery, as the characters struggled, then triumphed, with basic tasks such as pulling on their socks. Aimed once again at a pre-school audience, Grow also captures that new sense of wonder.

‘It’s about spring, but also the joy of movement as you’re developing, which you

really see in that 3–5 age range,’ says Newell. (Kelly Apter)