Our Neighbour Thor: A Sibling Saga Play – Friday 14th June

Jun 5, 2024

Join us for ‘Our Neighbour Thor: A Sibling Saga’, a multi-disciplinary performance, on Friday 14th June at The Chrysalis Theatre.

‘Our Neighbour Thor: A Sibling Saga’ is not just a puppet play, it’s a unique visual art performance crafted by the talented residents of Camphill MK. This collaborative masterpiece is the result of three diverse workshops: Performing Arts, Arts and Crafts, and Tools Workshops.

The special evening will include an exhibition, a touch tour and a live performance.

Date: Friday 14th June 2024

Location: The Chrysalis Theatre, Japonica Ln, Milton Keynes, MK15 9JY

Doors open: 6:20 pm

Touch tours: 6:30 pm & 6:50 pm (limited to 30 people – please book in advance)

Performance starts: 7:30 pm (running time 40 mins)

(Please note: All timings are approximate as this is a live event).

Buy your tickets HERE!

Tickets are just £5 with the option to give an additional donation. A small bar will sell soft drinks, wine, canned cider, and lager.

The Project

Camphill MK has many workshops to engage adults with support needs and learning disabilities, including Arts & Crafts, Performing Arts, and Tools workshops; these three workshops have collaborated to bring Our Neighbour Thor: A Sibling Saga to the stage. The original play is written and devised by the Performing Arts Workshop and combines puppets created by the Arts & Crafts and Tools workshops with live acting, weaving a story based on Norse Mythology. This production is inspired by a recent visit to see the RSC’s My Neighbour Totoro in February 2024, which included a touch tour where members of the RSC showed us around the set and let us operate the puppets used in the show. The touch tour was incredibly useful and interesting and inspired us to include a touch tour of our own to share our production journey.

The Performance

When two young Norse children wander into the forest, they discover Thor and Freya looking for Thor’s lost hammer. The children are drawn into a world of magic and mayhem, where the Frost Giants capture Freya and bring a winter set to destroy everything the children hold dear. Can the children and Thor overcome the many challenges, or will the Frost Giants succeed in their dastardly plans? The performance is a one-act play by actors and puppeteers from the Centre Stage Performing Arts Workshop from Camphill MK, with live music from the Asgard Band.

The Touch Tour

Experience the magic of our production up close with our exclusive touch tour. This interactive backstage sneak-peek allows you to explore the set, costumes, and the puppets themselves. Our cast and crew will be there to guide you and share the behind-the-scenes stories of how the production came together.

The Exhibition

This interactive exhibition explores how we took inspiration from our trip to see My Neighbour Totoro, produced by the Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) at the Barbican, to create our performance of Our Neighbour Thor: A Sibling Saga. Get the chance to find out how the play, puppets, and set were produced and discover the world of Norse Mythology, which forms the basis for the world of our story. There will also be the chance to play the Viking game Cubb out on the green in front of the Chrysalis Theatre.

Here are some behind-the-scenes photos of the rehearsals. We hope to see you there!

Watch the promo video here!