Theatre show inspires city’s schoolchildren on climate change

An innovative theatre show to engage and inspire schoolchildren and families on the subjects of climate science and recycling is visiting Southampton this week.

Stories in the Dust is a family theatre show, created by performers Iona Johnson and Anna Harriott. Ian Williams, Professor of Applied Environmental Science at the University of Southampton, has supported the workshop and wraparound content creation.

The show will be performed at the MAST Mayflower Studios on Saturday 5 October.

The show’s creators are also running a series of workshops this week in Southampton schools, exploring climate change and its challenges. Workshops are taking place at Freemantle CE Community Academy and Highfield CE Primary School.

Audio installations are being recorded at the workshops to capture children’s thoughts on climate change and recycling, which will be available to listen to online and at played at the live performance.

Outlining the production, Anna said: “Set in a dystopian landscape, the show is an eco-fable that hits on topics around climate change, friendship and hope. It’s a fun show, aimed at 5 to 12-year-olds, with music and puppetry. We’ve carried the messaging through to the set too, which is all made from recycled and recovered materials.”

Ian said: “The premise of the show is to accurately represent a dystopian possibility for climate change, but to end with a message of hope.”

Iona added: “From the work we have done so far in primary schools, it’s clear that the majority of children in Key Stage 2 are very aware of climate change and have lots of interesting questions about it. Working with Ian, they have been able to ask their questions direct to an environmental scientist.”

Anna, Iona and Ian also authored a paper published in the scientific journal Civic Partners in Net Zero, which was presented at the House of Commons in April. The paper outlines how the arts can be an effective tool to inspire social change and to communicate climate science research.

Stories in the Dust is currently touring the country, spending time within local communities delivering workshops and creating audio installations that champion young people alongside touring the show.

Full details of the tour are on the Stories in the Dust website .