There was great excitement at Sandbrook School, among students and staff alike, when we heard that M6 Theatre Company was bringing their latest production for us to enjoy. The students were especially pleased when, after a wet lunchtime stuck indoors, they were able to abandon their normal Wednesday afternoon lessons in order to watch Mission… Save the World!
The students speculated as to what the content of the show would be. Several believed we would be getting a visit from Wonder Woman or Batman. Others wondered if the theme would relate to environmental issues. All, it turned out, were far from the mark.
The performance commenced with a noisy and colourful opening. Captain Conquer and Captain Clever – the sole characters of the production – displayed their superpower skills. The acting was straight away lively, energetic and funny. This, of course, proved a perfect way to grab the attention of the students, who were hooked from thereon in.
As the story developed the students were all enthralled by the rescuing of tadpoles (luckily just props) as the two heroes completed their mission. The students, being so physically close to the actors, felt they were very much living the experience with them. One child commented anxiously that she was worried about Captain Conquer falling through the wooden platform, during a tense stand-off between the two characters. Another student nervously remarked that he ‘hoped the tadpoles would be saved in time’.
Back in the classroom, it became apparent through animated discussions that the students had quickly noted the show's main theme: kindness. This prompted further conversations relating to how we too can be ‘kindness superheroes’.
Several PSHE sessions later, and many students had already received kindness certificates, as reward for their random acts of kindness towards others. They enjoyed trying to catch each other being kind and showed growing understanding of the principle that no act of kindness, however small, is ever wasted.
The students are now looking forward to designing and creating their own superhero masks which will aid them in their future kindness missions.