Inspired by Laura Dekker’s solo trip round the world in 2010 when she was just fifteen, Carbon Theatre’s new interactive digital adventure, Sea Girl, is both fun and educational.
We meet Naomi and Ellen, two girls who imagine their own voyage. Along the way, we as the audience at home make decisions that affect their journey and give us an insight into how climate change and human actions are affecting natural habitats.
This is both storytelling and a source of rich imagination: largely depicted through animated videos (illustrated by Rahana Banana, animated by Tim Baxter).
With the help of a friendly cat, Tarzoon, the kind of cute character who may connect with younger viewers, they visit different places and learn about people, animals and things.
Designed for the whole family to enjoy, and inclusive to children with special needs and disabilities through a set of sensory tasks and exercises, Sea Girl is a well-designed piece of digital theatre which both raises and answers questions.
It is a novel way of mixing science and geography with a fairly amusing storyline. Isla van Tricht has written a piece for 3+ children that can easily interest older school age viewers too. Hopefully it will inspire interest in the world around us and how we interact with it.
I liked how the issues around plastic use, for example, were included without being too preachy or dry. Much more effective to use the moment to have a conversation about what we can do to change.
Tania Aebi’s trip around the world in the 1980s in her late teens is also an inspiration – Tarzoon is based on her cat, who accompanied her on the second leg of her voyage.
Running at between fifteen to thirtt minutes, this adventure can be run through without active interaction if you wish, or repeated with different choices. Each video is fully captioned throughout.
To purchase your free ticket to experience Sea Girl, go here. It is available from 31 March to 30 April 2022.