Discover Myths and Adventures from Ancient Greece
A brand new online children's theatre commission from Watermans helps children discover these famous tales.
Back in the first lockdown, the team here starting putting our minds to how we could continue to ensure children in West London had access to top-quality theatre, even with theatres possibly continuing to be closed. Fast forward to this, the third lockdown, and sadly this is exactly where we are. As a result a whole generation of children are missing out on the special experience of theatre – not only the communal experience, but the ability to connect with new stories, cultures and ideas, something we know our audiences at Watermans really value.
So I am really excited to tell you that tomorrow morning at 10am, we premiere our very own brand new series of online children’s theatre shows, Myths and Adventures from Ancient Greece. Kicking off tomorrow with Pandora, on Thursday we release Persephone; on Friday Midas and on Saturday, Theseus and the Minotaur. All the shows are free on YouTube and designed especially for children aged 3-8, though my colleague tells me her 11 year old loved Pandora!
In fact, the story of Pandora has a special message that I feel is strangely apposite for the times we are in. As Pandora releases chaos, sadness and death into the world by opening the box, Hope is also released alongside. And with Hope as your guide through these four stories, this feels like a wonderful message to be sharing with children.
Written by Hannah Khalil (15 Heroines, Jermyn Street Theatre; Not The Gingerbread Man and Mrs Scrooge, Fly High Stories; and A Museum in Baghdad, RSC) and created for 3-8 year olds, Myths and Adventures from Ancient Greece will explore the tales of Persephone, Theseus and the Minotaur, King Midas and his Golden Touch and Pandora’s Box.
Children will enter a miniature world full of exciting adventures, with the battered insect Hope as their guide. Hope journeys into the world of Ancient Greece to escape Pandora’s Box, warn King Midas of his greed, seek Persephone in the Underworld and help Theseus to defeat the Minotaur.
With charming designs from Sam Wilde (Fly High Stories, Hiccup Theatre Company), under the direction of Ian Nicholson (I Want My Hat Back, This is Not My Hat, I Found My Hat with Little Angel Theatre), this project offers an engaging and delightfully imaginative adventure to Ancient Greece. Ian Nicholson and Peyvand Sadeghian (Little Angel Theatre, Goblin Theatre) perform.
The plays will be available for free on YouTube and released on these dates, at 10am each day:
Pandora – Weds 13 January
Persephone – Thurs 14 January
King Midas – Fri 15 January
Theseus and the Minotaur – Sat 16 January
We really hope you enjoy the and look forward to hearing what you think!
Education Resource Pack
If you enjoyed watching the short stories about Ancient Greece you may want to try our accompanying educational resource pack that explores the stories in more detail, looking at other Greek Myths and heroes, telling stories from another character’s point of view and much more. Just click on the link here.
Theseus and the Minotaur
Myths and Adventures from Ancient Greece
Ian Nicholson performs Theseus and the Minotaur - resleased Sat 16 January 2021
Credits:
Written by Hannah Khalil
Directed by Ian Nicholson
Designed and Made by Sam Wilde, assisted by Alana Ashley
Music by Jim Whitcher
Performed by Peyvand Sadeghian
Commissioned by and filmed at Watermans, West London’s arts centre.
