Ahead of World Climate Day this Sunday 8th December, we’re reflecting on our trilogy of environmental performance work.
Highly Sprung complete their trilogy of environmentally charged spectacle work to coincide with World Climate Day on 8 December 2024. World Climate Day, initiated in France and Belgium, aims to raise awareness of climate change issues and the impact they have on Earth.
Each of Highly Sprung’s environmental performances explore a key issue – air pollution; plastic waste; the energy crisis – highlighting global impact and offering alternatives for audiences to consider for all our futures.
Created for, and with children and young people, Highly Sprung aim to inspire the next generation through physical theatre encouraging young people to re-imagine a more equitable and sustainable future, sharing and responding to their concerns. Their environmental trilogy: Urban Astronaut, CastAway and Accelerate tell compelling stories, all aimed at inspiring action around climate change.
“Our work is changing how people view work produced with and for children and young people. It’s about giving young people the chance to develop their voice through physical theatre. Our environmental trilogy provides a space for young people to respond to and understand the impact of air pollution, plastic waste and the energy crisis and how these impact locally and globally.”
Mark Worth, Artistic Director at Highly Sprung
The first in the trilogy, Urban Astronaut was created in 2014 and toured for 8 years. It exposes problems around air pollution, now at crisis point. Combining genre-defying aerial theatre with dynamic choreography and stunning design to tell a compelling story. Suspended on a gravity defying flying machine, the Urban Astronaut travels through towns and cities to provide a glimpse of a not-so dystopian future. On his journey he meets a girl who provides the one thing the Astronaut has lost… hope.
Created in 2020 and continuing to tour nation-wide, Highly Sprung’s CastAway is a stunning outdoor performance that explores the impact of today’s throwaway society on our waterways. Featuring a unique gyroscopic flying machine, it presents a brand new approach to aerial theatre. The all female cast immerses audiences in an underwater world where performers dive, twist and float over 26 feet in the air to delight, inspire and captivate audiences of all ages.
CastAway responds to the Great Pacific Garbage Patch – a floating island of everlasting plastic that has now grown to 6½ times the size of the UK. It presents an alternative, sustainable and more compassionate way of being and challenges the audience to consider their own actions in the face of climate change.
The final performance in the trilogy, Accelerate, premiered this November at Highly Sprung’s Youth Energy Summit in Coventry led by energy conscious young people and produced in partnership with EON and Coventry’s Strategic Energy Partnership.
Exposing the flaws of humanity’s relationship with energy, Accelerate combines dark humour, bold movement, aerial performance and conveyor belt dance. Performers battle through daily life, juggling with the exhausting demands of the day to day, struggling to find the energy. With only so much fuel to get them through, reserves begin to run low. There’s no choice – they must look for alternatives.
“Highly Sprung’s approach to physical theatre produces bold, spectacular performances and unforgettable experiences in unexpected ways, spaces and places, calling for change. It’s been inspiring for Highly Sprung to see our Young Producers engage directly with the climate and energy crisis exploring the issues and solutions for themselves through our recent Youth Energy Summit.”
Sarah Worth, Executive Director
About Highly Sprung
Highly Sprung Performance are an award-winning physical theatre company working with and for children and young people. Creating inspiring performances and transformative experiences to enable better futures.
Highly Sprung tell compelling and relevant stories, where text moves and movement speaks. Their work produces bold, spectacular performances and unforgettable experiences, in unexpected ways, spaces, and places. Every year Highly Sprung deliver workshops to more than 5000 children and young people. They reach an audience of nearly 40,000 with touring performances across the UK and the world.
Known for environmentally-themed aerial performances such as Urban Astronaut and CastAway, as well as the Physical Fellowship – the UK’s only youth-led physical theatre festival, now in its 15th year. They are also recipients of the Gold Pearsons Teaching Award, delivering workshops and programmes for school groups aged 4-19.
CastAway and Accelerate are available for tour bookings in 2025.