Leading Lights

8:27am Thursday 3rd April 2008

When Ovid wrote his 15-book masterpiece Metamorphoses in 8AD, I doubt he thought it would be performed by puppets two millennia later.

But that is just what is happening this week as a cast, that includes disabled performers, from Croydon Clocktower's Big White Light company and puppeteers from the Little Angel Theatre come together for a new adaption of the mythical poem.

Describing the creation and history of the world, the mammoth series has remained one of the most popular works of mythology, and had a huge influence on Medieval poetry.

Directed by Peter Glanville and devised by Jackson's Lane Theatre, the vivid new production fuses puppetry with visual theatre in such a way that it leaves the audience feeling involved in the performance.

Funded by the Arts Council England Theatre department, through the development fund, the project aims to create new performance and training opportunities for learning-disabled performers as well as exploring the possibilities of puppetry and theatre within the disability arts sector.

The Little Angel Theatre has its home in North London and is one of only a handful of dedicated puppet theatres in the UK.

Jackson's Lane actively tries to showcase and produce work created by and for disabled artists and audiences.

Metamorphoses, Croydon Clocktower, April 3, 8pm, £5. Call 020 8253 1030 or email ticketoffice@croydon.gov.uk for details.

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