Schoolchildren go on a seaside adventure with USW theatre show

Schoolchildren from across Cardiff enjoyed learning all about sea creatures at the University of South Wales (USW) last week, as Theatre and Drama students performed an educational stage show.

Pupils aged 4 to 7 came to USW’s Cardiff Campus to watch A Seaside Adventure, an interactive show featuring lively songs about life under the sea.

Performed by first year BA (Hons) Theatre and Drama students, the show told the story of four friends enjoying a day at the beach, who encounter lots of underwater characters, including Joy the jellyfish, William the whale, Ozzy and Sharon the octopuses, and many more.

A Seaside Adventure was co-directed by Michael Carklin and Sian Summers, Senior Lecturer in Drama and Performance, with musical direction by Rob Smith, Senior Lecturer in Music and Performing Arts.

A true collaborative effort, the show’s live music was played by Music staff and students, with the technical aspects taken care of by Sound, Lighting and Live Event Technology students.

Hermione Nethercot, 22, is originally from Oxford and played the role of Joy the jellyfish. She said: “It’s been great fun throwing ourselves into rehearsals during our first term at uni, getting to grips with the songs and the script. I’d love to do more physical theatre as it’s such a rewarding experience to see the children joining in and learning in an enjoyable way.”

Tommy Church, 21, from Merthyr Tydfil, played the role of Diver Dan, and enjoyed stepping out of comfort zone for the show. He said: “Performing to children means that we’ve had to bring so much energy to every aspect, which has been a great experience. It’s also a fantastic opportunity to bring theatre to lots of youngsters who may not otherwise be able to go and see a stage show.”

Children from Tredegarville Primary School, Adamsdown Primary School, Coryton Primary School and St Mary the Virgin Church in Wales Primary School were among the audience, with many of them experiencing a theatre show for the first time.

Rebecca Baston, Deputy Headteacher at St Mary the Virgin Church in Wales Primary School, added: “Our Foundation Phase pupils had a wonderful time at A Seaside Adventure. The warm welcome to USW made the children feel at home, and it was wonderful for our pupils to access such a fantastic creative space. They were enthralled by the performance and the interactive, lively nature of the story ensured they were fully engaged for the whole performance – which is no small feat!

“The songs had our pupils up on their feet, singing and dancing, and the staff loved seeing so much laughter and joy on our pupils’ faces. The performance cleverly weaved a range of ocean facts into the narrative and our pupils enjoyed picking up new knowledge in a fun way.

“As we left the theatre, our pupils were full of praise. Without any prompting, I was told the show was ‘Bendigedig!’ ‘The best show ever!’ And more than one pupil came out singing Penguin Party. Thank you for inviting us to share in your wonderful show. Our pupils and staff thoroughly enjoyed an hour of music, fun and facts. Thank you to Michael for the invitation, and a huge well done to all involved for putting on such a great show. We are already looking forward to next year!”