TOURING INTO PRIMARY SCHOOLS IN 2024
RATLab logo
AN AWARD-WINNING INTERACTIVE SHOW to Excite 7-11 YEAR OLDS IN BIO-MECHANICAL ENGINEERING
A team of extraordinary engineers opens up its Research And Test Lab. Here they use cutting-edge medical science and puppetry to help rugby sports star Ronnie get back to the playing field after her hip replacement.
They’ll give us a glimpse into the surgery, engage us in learning more about bones, the mechanics of how our bodies move, and how engineering solutions can fix them when they go wrong.
Oh, and the lab? It’s run by rats!
Join a cast of remarkable animal characters in an exciting pop-up laboratory environment for a unique and fun theatre experience.
RATLab will inspire an entire half term’s worth of classroom learning around just how extraordinary our bodies are, and how exciting it can be to become an engineer.
EXPECT A SCIENCE LESSON LIKE NO OTHER…
RATLab has been made possible with generous funding from the Royal Academy of Engineering, the University of Bath, Orthopaedic Research UK, the Culture Recovery Fund and the Arts Council Emergency Response Fund.
“Green Ginger will make you gasp with the scale of its theatrical imagination, its highly developed sense of the bizarre and the brilliance of its puppetry technique.”
WHAT IS RATLAB’s THEATRE?
RATLab is performed in an all-weather pop-up structure made of inflatable domes with interconnecting tunnels. The lab can be easily installed on any flat surface, indoors or out, and can accommodate two classes of children and their teachers.
This bespoke structure was designed as a Covid-safe delivery model for the performances and as a learning environment away from the classroom, and is the perfect space to give the pupils a unique and memorable experience.
WHO IS RATLAB FOR?
RATLab is aimed at 7 - 11 year old school children in Key Stage 2. The performance is designed to engage their young minds in a highly visual and theatrical experience, and to frame STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) as exciting, creative and diverse.
RATLab was conceived with a focus on visits to primary schools in areas of socio-economic deprivation, with the aim to ensure that performances are free to schools at the point of delivery.
WHAT IS THE EXPERIENCE?
During a visit to RATLab, children will interact with a team of engaging characters - mostly rats, dogs and pigs - who use engineering to solve everyday problems. The 25-min show uses lo-fi puppetry and hi-tech projections to celebrate University of Bath's cutting edge research into bone repair and sports injuries. A child’s overall experience will underscore the everyday nature of engineering, and the role of teamwork in creative problem solving. Schools will appreciate the supplementary digital resources, including a comprehensive ActivityPack with videos, practical exercises, and discussion prompts.
“Opportunities like this really aid children to engage and learn in a way that classroom learning alone cannot do. The impact of creating memories through this experience will no doubt be felt for years to come.”
Gallery
Photos: Photos: Nic Delves-Broughton
RATLab is created in partnership with University of Bath.
Green Ginger acknowledges the core Creative Team on the project:
Dr Sabina Gheduzzi - Project Lead (University of Bath)
Kate McStraw - Creative Producer and Access Advisor
Thea Woodrow - Co-Producer
Nick Willsher - Design & Fabrication
Em Spoor - Puppet Fabrication
Sophie Clayton - Rat Heads Design & Fabrication
Jonathan Eve - Sound / Music Composition
JPDL - Music Composition
Helga Brandt - Marketing & PR
Chris Pirie - Co-Producer, Design & Fabrication Lead, Devising Performer
Kim Heron, Martin Bonger, Maleh Andela - Devising Performers
Aileen Gonsalves - Performance Direction & Engineer Training
Lorna Rees - Dramaturgy & Script Development
Adam Laity - Filmmaking
Helena Houghton - Animations
Berry den Breeje - Technical Stage Manager
Rae Alexander - Performer
The company also acknowledges the vital contributions of the project’s Advisory Group
University of Bath’s VC Impact Award
RATLab’s Project Lead Sabina Gheduzzi was awarded University of Bath’s Impact Award for Public Engagement. The Vice-Chancellor’s Engage Awards aim to reward and celebrate the work of colleagues from across the University of Bath who are engaging non-academic audiences with their research.
https://blogs.bath.ac.uk/access-and-participation/vice-chancellors-outreach-awards-2022/
Arts Award
Green Ginger is proud to be an Arts Award Supporter. Arts Award’s unique qualifications support young people to grow as artists and arts leaders, inspiring them to connect with and take part in the wider arts world. RATLab will help young people working towards their Arts Award Discover and Arts Award Explore, and offers them the opportunity to experience the work of Green Ginger and their artists through a live theatre performance at their primary school, and post-performance Q&A.
