To The Moon and Back
Barmpot Theatre
Louth Town Centre
04 June 2022
On an overcast Saturday afternoon in a tiny market town in Lincolnshire, a unique and creative show entertained its audience like no other. Chilldren's theatre maker Jane Crawshaw's new show To The Moon and Back had her audience right in the palm of her hand. A simple wordless story took its young audience on a journey as a mother owl sought food for her young family, demonstrating the lengths she was willing to go to feed her youngsters. She is quite literally willing to fly to the Moon and back for her young family.
The show was utterly charming, with its immensely creative use of puppets that range from micro-puppets to an almost full-sized owl. The story begins life i a suitcase full of dreams. ENgaging with her youngest audience members, Crawshaw clowned and mimed her way through an array of potential costume changes, which were greeted with whoops and giggles from her tiny audience members. One little girl, previously docile, jumped from her pram and began actively engaging with Crawshaw's story and her puppets throughout the ten-minute show, squealing with delight and amusement.
The beautifully simple story saw a puppet owl emerge from within the suitcase. At first, it shyly peered through a broken window at its audience and then intrduced its two young chicks eager for food. Soon enough the mother owl embarked on her quest to find food to satiate their needs. Day turned to night as the quest continued, with various incarnations of the owl at different sizes offering the chance for the audience to imagine the distances she was covering.
This enchanting story offers no peril and was perfect for the little ones in their prams as well as the older animated children running around in front of Crawshaw's podium, upon which the suitcase theatre was housed. The largest incarnation of the owl was a wonderful "flying" puppet whose wings flapped, as it was escorted around the playing space by the puppeteer capturing the hearts and minds of the children, who stood or sat open-mouthed in amazement with eyes almost popping out of their heads.
This performance is a part of a wider project being offered in Louth Town Centre and across Lincolnshire which shows the importance of nature to children with a model making/painting stall and the Nature Lab as well as the puppet show.
Overall, this entire project is important as it informs children and teaches them to love and appreciate nature. It is the perfect, gentle, introduction to the issues without being in the least bit "preachy" about the environment. This will allow parents and guardians to engage in meaningful conversations with their children after seeing this show.
We thoroughly recommend spending a short while in the presence of the owl and Barmpot Theatre when you get the chance. You will be dazzled and charmed in equal measure.
Creative Team: Performed & Produced
Director
Puppet Director
Puppets & Set
Sound Designer & Composer
Craft Artists
Nature Lab
Trainee Joel Howard
#ToTheMoonAndBack was commissioned by
for
, part funded by
Reviewer & Photographer - Andy Evans
Andy Evans 04 June 2022
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