Small touring musical shows face significant challenges in minimizing their environmental impacts due to limited resources and tight budgets. They can't afford eco-friendly technologies or carbon offset programs. Frequent travel in fuel-intensive vehicles, energy consumption for lighting and sound, and waste from single-use items all contribute to their carbon footprint. Small venues often lack sustainable infrastructure, making it harder to implement green practices. Despite their best efforts, these constraints make it difficult for small touring shows tours to achieve environmental sustainability.

But Stories in the Dust is different!

This workshop will showcase how two professional actors working with University of Southampton scientists designed an exciting climate-change themed family theatre show and its wraparound content to maximise reuse and recycling, and minimise carbon emissions. It will demonstrate how we can promote solutions to environmental problems alongside providing entertainment and "giving a voice" to young people.

This 30 minute workshop will use music, puppetry, props, costumes and scenery to illustrate how Stories in the Dust delivers entertainment and fun whilst minimising its environmental impacts and inspiring social change. It will showcase the thoughts and ideas of some of the children who have participated in the workshops.