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18/01/2025
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Theatre companies have worked with children in Exeter to create a Christmas play for young people.
Unlike a traditional play, Winterwood is an immersive experience.
Actors from Above Bounds and Angel Exit Theatre held workshops at St Thomas Primary School to help the pupils devise characters that live in a magical woodland.
A piece of promenade theatre, that allows families to walk around an enchanted forest was then built inside Emmanuel Hall, created by the Alibi project.
At the experience, there are no seats, no ice creams or interval, but groups of characters in forest clearings that the audience meet and hear their stories.
The children invented a lady who lives in a gingerbread house and a man who decorates Christmas trees with magic beans.
The professional actors took the people and animals the children imagined and weaved them into a story.
Performer and co-creator Emma Baskeyfield, from theatre company Above Bounds, said: “We told the children about the forest and we let them fill in the gaps.”
She added: “They came up with some great ideas, like a fluffy fox with a light up tail.”
Lucas, who visited with his school and helped create the characters, said: “It’s magical. I loved the character Mylo the Fox.”
Dan Jenkins, the head teacher of St Thomas Primary School, said the play was a great story-telling tool.
He said: “This is an interactive activity with hands-on creativity and imagination.”
Alibi, formerly known as Theatre Alibi, has recently transformed from a theatre company into a child-focused arts venue.
It provided the performance space with the aim of it being accessible to families on a budget.
Chief executive officer Debbie Bucella said: “We believe every child should have access to affordable arts and culture.”
Winterwood is on at Emmanuel Hall in St Thomas, Exeter, until 5 January.
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