Children from year 6 of The Mead Academy Trust went to The Arc Theatre, Trowbridge, for a special performance of ‘The Girl of Ink and Stars’ on Monday 10th June.
The academy trust reports, “With kind permission from the author, Kiran Millwood Hargrave, Bath Spa Productions brought the mythical children’s story to life, thanks to the creative adaptation by Barra Collins.
“The children were captivated throughout the 90-minute performance by the special effects, seamless scene transitions and talented actors and actresses who took on several characters throughout.
“The children were then given an opportunity to share their thoughts and views of the production with the cast, crew and script writer. Special mentions were given to: ‘Isabella’ Matilda Dodwell who acted ‘impeccably and with true emotion’; ‘Da’ James Owen ‘was exactly how I imagined him!’ and ‘Pablo’ Rikki Dallas ‘was the only actor who could have played this role’. The children were particularly impressed with the ‘fire dog’ and ‘Miss La’ puppets controlled by Elisabeth Harvey. High praise was given to the crew too; ‘The set designers did a marvellous job on everything!’ They also gave thanks to Barra Collins for writing such an ‘amazing’ script.
“This was a wonderful opportunity for collaboration across the schools and Bath Spa University. Thanks must also go to The Arc Theatre, Trowbridge College, for hosting the special performance. This collaborative approach to learning across the trust schools, college and university will no doubt grow and develop as the parties share ideas for future workshops and performances.
“Some further children’s quotes: ‘I went to the thrilling play of ‘The Girl of Ink and Stars … (it) … kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire hour and a half.’ ‘It was a thrilling experience’. ‘I really liked the show because it was very tense and scary in parts. I absolutely recommend it – 8+.’ ‘It was performed beautifully.’ ‘The presentation was wonderful’.”
