Pupils’ praise for mime show Slug
Primary pupils from West Kintyre sailed to Gigha for a comic performance by award-winning theatre company Visible Fictions.
The show, entitled Slug, tells the story of a proud gardener trying to protect his perfect patch of land from a rampaging, mischievous slug. It looks at getting along with neighbours and sharing the world – all in mime.
Devised by Douglas Irvine and Melanie Jordan to delight younger audiences, Slug has live music and lots of movement – but no words.
Sponsored by The Scottish Salmon Company, Theatre in Schools Scotland invited pupils from Clachan and Rhunahaorine to join those from Gigha for the performance on Monday November 4.
It was one of several taking place across Scotland in November. Theatre in Schools Scotland tours world-class theatre and dance productions to primary schools across the country and this month it is touring Slug.
Rhunahaorine Primary School head teacher Catriona Brown said: ‘It was a unique performance and very cleverly done as the story was told with no dialogue. The whole thing was mime with lots of facial expression. Sound effects were made with a flute, a saxophone and a ukulele as well as gurgles through a microphone.’
Comments from Rhunahaorine’s pupils included: ‘My best part was when the lady was playing all the instruments’; ‘I liked it when the gardener was hit on the face with the fish’; ‘My best part was when the guy was screaming’; and ‘My favourite bit was the slug eating the carrot’.
Theatre in Schools Scotland is a pioneering initiative developed and produced by the National Theatre of Scotland and Imaginate creating opportunities for schools to host live theatre and dance performances.
Bookings are subsidised and an annual programme of shows touring Scotland, with accompanying resources for teachers and children.
Slug is one of six productions touring schools this year. Since launching three years ago, Theatre in Schools Scotland has toured 14 productions to every local authority, bringing inspiring, powerful performances to more than 52,000 children and young people in schools from Shetland to the Scottish Borders.
Theatre in Schools Scotland is delighted to be receiving renewed sponsorship from The Scottish Salmon Company for this year’s programme. This support helps performances reach schools in remote and rural communities.
Craig Anderson, chief executive of The Scottish Salmon Company, said: ‘We are very proud to have sponsored the Theatre in Schools Scotland programme since its inception. It has been of enormous benefit to children across the country. With a commitment to bringing the arts to rural communities, the programme closely mirrors our values of supporting cultural activities in remote and rural areas of the west coast and Hebrides, where our 650 staff live and work.’