Written and directed by Nicholas Barton-Wines
Devised with the company
Beacon Arts Centre
Presented at Traverse Theatre with YTAS Chrysalis Festival 2017
Original full production presented at
Beacon Arts Centre Studio Theatre
Double bill with Threads
June 2017
Scratch development produced and supported by
Beacon Arts Centre, YTAS, and Traverse Theatre
November 2016
“a life-affirming allegory about fighting for what you believe and about resistance in the face of mass selfishness” (The Herald)
This is a story about a world that’s a little bit like ours. Here everyone holds onto a string, and each string leads high into the sky. Nobody really remembers why they started holding on. When the strings are dropped, it’s down to Sophie to save the world from slipping from their grasp. Physical, fast-paced, and direct, How To Save The World… ish mixes the magic of childhood with grown-up responsibility in this fast-paced, physical, cautionary suburban fairytale about the future of our planet.
The piece is heavily influenced by illustration books and graphic novels, and was informed by the ideas, opinions, and reflections of the cast. This ambitious project introduced movement skills and how to devise movememt and text to 12 young people from Inverclyde through to a full 75-minute production with everybody speaking and moving at all times. This challenging process resulted in feedback from the participants such as “this show showed me the power I have inside of me”, and “it’s taught me to be loud, have opinions, take space, and we can achieve anything”. The project culminated in a run at Traverse Theatre; half of our group had never visited Edinburgh before.
How To Save The World…ish was chosen as one of four UK-wide productions made with young people to be presented at the YTAS Chrysalis Festival held at the Traverse Theatre in November 2017.
You can read the full review of the festival from The Herald here.
“[HTSTW…ish] is a new approach and style for youth theatres and young theatre makers in Scotland … to see such a gentle yet thought provoking piece performed by a dedicated ensemble cast, who obviously had trust in Nick and had been directed in such a way as to feel safe in the rehearsal space, was a breath of fresh air.”
– Gillian Gourlay, NTS Learning and Outreach Manager and YTAS Board Member
How To Save The World…ish gained Nicholas the YTAS Saltire Young Leader Award.
The full production with Beacon Arts Centre is a culmination of a research and development period working with Beacon Young Company for a 20-minute presentation at Chrysalis: Emergence 2016:
