Theatre Alibi — Down to Earth
Theatre Alibi’s project ‘Down to Earth’ is a storytelling experience for children aged 5-11 in primary schools across Devon. It tells the story of Janet, an astronaut on the International Space Station who ‘borrows’ a brand new shuttlecraft prototype she has been working on in order to travel down to Earth to visit her children. But there’s a mistake in Janet’s calculations, and she lands miles away from where she intended – in the playground of a Devon primary school…
Due to Covid-19 restrictions around touring, Theatre Alibi adapted its annual autumn schools tour to create an intimate experience in classrooms, with one performer working in role for just one small group of pupils at a time. Writer Daniel Jamieson created a new kind of script and the performance was also accompanied by two short animated films that ‘top and tail’ the live interaction.
A Teachers’ Resource Pack was made available, which includes both story-based literacy activities as well as ways in for schools to discuss and help boost good mental health and wellbeing for their pupils.
Theatre Alibi has been touring performance work in schools in Devon for more than 35 years. The Exeter-based company’s work places storytelling at the heart of everything they do.
Watch a video made by Lisa Heledd-Jones about the journey of ‘Down to Earth’ below.