Inside the Press Launch for THE STAR SEEKERS at the National Theatre

The Star Seekers by the Wardrobe Ensemble is headed to the Dorfman Theatre at the National Theatre this August. It's an interactive space show for children aged three to eight years old, but with plenty for the whole family to enjoy.

We got a sneak preview of the show and the chance to chat with its creators at its press launch last week...

The show, directed by Helena Middleton, has three actors who lead the children in creating an adventure.

Alph, Betty, and Gammo are aspiring astronauts who must go into space to find three missing parts for their boss's machine with the help of the audience, or Star Seekers. The show is partially improvised, with plot lines provided by the children.

Jesse Meadows, who plays Betty, explained: "The interaction with the kids means that genuinely every show is totally different." The press event was the first time that the show in its current iteration had an audience. The children present were rather practical; for example, when asked what a passing planet was made of, one child shouted, "Rock!".

Meadows says that the children are generally unpredictable and might throw anything at the actors. Another highlight of the event was when an alien complained about birds pooping on its statues and the children gleefully suggested, "Kill the birds!".

The show is delightful, with impressive sound and lighting design. The actors are engaging and keep their young audience enthralled through the entire hour with songs and lots of props, some of which are recycled materials spray painted silver.

Many of the props are handed over to the children to hold, as the young audience all sits on mats at the front while the adults sit in chairs behind.

Even as an adult watching, it's hard not to get caught up in the adventure and the humour. The cast explained that they didn't want it to be like panto, where there's often bawdy humour thrown in for the adults to appreciate. Jack Drewdry, who plays Gammo, said: "The kids and the parents can enjoy it together."

The Wardrobe Ensemble formed about seven years ago and typically does plays for adults.

After being asked to create some Christmas shows, and Meadows making her own children's theatre away from the company, they decided to create The Star Seekers. Meadows says she "just sort of fell in love with work for that age group".

They chose space as the subject of the show because there's so much we don't know about it, making it a great adventure, and people of all ages are interested in it. Meadows said they wanted to create "a show that would really involve the children in the story or adventure that we're telling, so that they would be very immersed".

The show was originally made on a budget of £500 above a pub in Bristol. Some of the original props were scavenged; Drewdry quipped, "If it's sprayed silver, it becomes a space thing".

They spent just two and a half weeks writing the original show, and the past two and a half years touring with it, but the production coming to the Dorfman has had some changes made to it.

As far as their plans for the future, they'd like to continue touring with the show or even take it abroad. They're also interested in expanding into a podcast or a radio show. However, for now they're grateful to be at the National Theatre.

Ben Vardy, who plays Alph, says that the children they get to perform to are the best part: "Their enthusiasm is so infectious". Meadows added, "You will never get a more honest audience than children".

Vardy also said that it's wonderful to perform to children who may not have any experience with theatre before, and to hopefully inspire their love of both performing and science. "It's such a privilege to know that for some of them, this is the first play they will have seen."

If you have children in your life, The Star Seekers is definitely a good choice for entertainment this August. The launch demonstrated how well planned out their show is, despite lots of improvisation, and how wonderfully children responded to it.

The Star Seekers is at the National Theatre 8 August to 1 September.

Photo Credit: Ellie Kurttz

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