As it’s been half a year since we were in the same physical space as our audience and colleagues, we’re venturing into the heady world of Newsletters to share what we’ve been up to during these <insert inevitable cliche describing strange COVID period here> times. We also wanted to introduce KIT’s amazing wider freelance team by sharing some short blogs they’ve written about their work with us. If you’d like to contribute a blog, start a discussion or share something you’re up to please let us know.

KIT were in the middle of two Adventures in Learning when lockdown struck in March. We quickly adapted these to work online so pupils knew that Mighty Zeus was OK, but wouldn’t be able to meet them as he was locked down in Italy, and that Jasmine Paw the cat was still planning her escape from accidental kit-napper Henrietta Carter. Thanks to excellent self-filming from Nigel Barrett (known as Zeus in these parts), Fran Moulds (Henrietta) and the digital ingenuity of partner teachers, we were able to safely engage pupils at home, respond to their ideas and bring their adventures to a satisfying end. 

Finally, we would like to share some thoughts on what it’s like to be a Stage Manager for KIT, written by the magnificent Abigail King - who we heartily endorse for all your stage management and prop-making needs:

“Working as a Stage Manager for KIT Theatre’s Adventures is brilliant, inspiring, funny, quite hard work and almost always involves a very early start. Before pupils have even had their breakfast at home, I can be found somewhere in their school grounds burying fossils, fixing a time machine, setting out secret code chocolate wrappers, hiding alien eggs / Aliens themselves in cupboards. Crazy as that all is, my main jobs (I think), are:

To make sure everything and everyone is where they need to be at the right time and in roughly the right costume based on the extremely detailed schedule we’ve been given. 

AND

To have the ability to make the decision to completely rip up that extremely detailed schedule, because it turns out Year 4 have got P.E in the hall today.

All of this must, of course, be done undercover, in character, with a vague-sounding title like “Assistant to the Deputy Soil Expert”.” To read more follow this link to our website.