Sam is a happy, dinosaur loving 8-year-old whose world turns upside down after his parents separate. As he takes himself off to the far end of the school field he meets Alex, a deaf girl with a vivid imagination – and an impressive collection of dinosaurs.
Bonding over boring packed lunches and their favourite fierce T-Rex, the pair form an unlikely friendship. When things at home become too difficult for Sam, Alex whisks him away on an astonishing adventure to meet the almighty Stan, the gigantic T-Rex at Manchester Museum.
A powerful and poignant new play by Sarah Emmott, Stan celebrates the power of play, the joy of communication and the positive force of friendship. Featuring awesome animated dinosaurs, Stan is written and performed in English and British Sign Language and embeds creative captions within the set.
Think Pixar’s Inside Out meets Night at the Museum, Stan is well worth a visit this Winter!
“Stan is literally ‘roaring’ with excitement while also asking some of the difficult life questions that people of all ages face”- ‘Ben Faulks AKA Mr. Bloom from CBeebies’
‘Powerful, timely and valuable’- Teacher
‘Inclusive, important and joyful’ – Audience Member
Tour dates
Z-Arts, Manchester
Thurs 10th Feb, 6:30pm
Fri 11th Feb, 10am
Sat 12th Feb, 2pm
Book tickets here
0161 226 1912
The Met, Bury
Thurs 17th Feb, 7pm
Fri 18th Feb, 2pm and 7pm
https://themet.org.uk
0161 761 2216
CAST, Doncaster
Weds 23rd Feb, 10.30am
Thurs 24th Feb, 10.30am and 6.30pm
Book tickets here
01302 303 959
Arts Depot, London
Sun 6th March, 11am and 2pm
Book tickets here
020 8369 5454
The Dukes, Lancaster
Weds 9th March, 1.30pm and 7pm
Thurs 10th March, 1.30pm
https://dukeslancaster.org
01524 598 500
Arc, Stockton
Sat 12th March, 11.30am and 2.30pm
Book tickets here
020 8369 5454
The Civic, Barnsley
Weds 16th March, 1pm and 6pm
www.barnsleycivic.co.uk
0122 632 7000
MAC, Birmingham
Sat 19th March, 11am and 2.30pm
Sunday 20th Marc, 11am
Book tickets here
0121 446 3232
Age Suitability: 7+
Themes: Stan explores themes of parental separation.
Loud noises: There are 5 minutes in which loud dinosaur noises are played intermittently. Ear Defenders will be available. However, if you own a pair please bring your own.
Running times: Play: 50 mins, no interval // Workshop: 30 mins
After the performance experienced facilitators will run a free workshop to help young audiences to understand and explore the plays key themes.
Participation
Workshop and Education Pack
Art with Heart will provide a post-performance workshop to help children unpack the themes in Stan. The workshop will help to build children’s emotional resilience and language. It will give vital space for children to explore their own situations, safely through the fiction of the characters. Education Packs with lesson plans will support teachers to further explore the themes.
Deaf awareness workshops
For our 2022 tour of Stan, Art with Heart have partnered with Manchester Deaf Centre to deliver 2 hour Deaf Awareness training online. Delivered by experienced, profoundly deaf tutors, this Deaf Awareness Training aims to raise your awareness of different types of hearing loss and provide you with communication tactics and best practice.
Deaf Awareness Training with Z-arts
Wednesday 19th January, 16.00 – 18.00
Delivered via Zoom
Visit website to book
Deaf Awareness Training with MAC
Tuesday 25th January, 14.00 – 16.00
Delivered via Zoom
Visit website to book
Deaf Awareness Training with artsdepot
Wednesday 26th January, 14.00 – 16.00
Delivered via Zoom
Visit website to book
Creative Team
Cast:
Ross Thompson: Sam
Alexandra James: Alex
Mum: Gemma Green
Written by: Sarah Emmott
Directed by: Jonathan McGrath
Movement Director: Deb Pugh
Lighting and Sound Design by Alex Willy
Animation by Triple Dot Makers
Set and costume design by Irene Jade
Promotional illustration by Noe Baba
Producer: Rachel Moorhouse
Associate Producer: Megan Holland
With Thanks
With thanks to the following creatives who have helped in the research and development of Stan so far: Jonathan McGrath, Gemma Green, Alexandra James, Ross Thompson, Rachel Moffatt-Feldman, Irene Jade, Adam Eastwood, Deborah Pugh, Dan Steele, Stephen Collins, Triple Dot, Alex Willy, Vilma Jackson, Rebecca Kenny and Kristian Wall.
Commissioned by Z arts. Funded by Arts Council England. With support from Greater Manchester Combined Authority, The Lady Neville Charity, The Granada Foundation, Touchstones and the Backstage Trust. This project has been made possible by a grant from Postcode Community Trust, a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.