Two in a Barrel

Part of our Earth Month programme

by Ruxy Cantir and Sarah Rose Graber. Presented By Scissor Kick

Celebrate Earth Day with Two in a Barrel, a show for young audiences about our relationship to rubbish and the environment. Through physical theatre, clowning, and puppetry, the show explores how climate change and plastic pollution are impacting our lives

Two lively quirky best friends, Riri and Moku, are confined to a barrel sitting on top of an island of rubbish. They love finding treasures in the vast waste that surrounds them and making up their own world of adventure and imagination. Every little discarded thing can be transformed into a magical trinket that starts a fun game. But being in tight quarters means they face new challenges, like having to ration their food and learning to coexist. Danger arises when the waste around them continues to pile higher and threatens to cover them altogether.

By looking at mass consumerism and the destructive effects (non bio-degradable) waste has on our environment, this Beckett-meets-Pixar show poses questions about the trash we produce and invokes awareness and environmental activism.

The current ongoing climate crisis has enraged and inspired us to make and perform work about our role in changemaking. Two in a Barrel addresses important issues in a way that engenders engagement - with humour, fun, characters to empathise with, and dynamic visuals.

While the climate crisis is quickly becoming our generation’s biggest challenge, it is future generations who will bear the brunt of it.

Immediately following the performance, Riri and Moku will host a workshop for the audience on how to create props and other fun toys and games from waste which can be booked separately (maximum 30 participants).

In this workshop, participants will use their imaginations to bring stories and characters to life through puppetry, offering new exciting ways to engage with objects around us. Much like Riri and Moku in "Two in a Barrel" who find treasures to play with in their environment overcome with rubbish, we will use a fun variety of discarded items to inspire our creativity. What are some imaginative ways we can use a cardboard box? 

We will also explore ways of operating big puppets and masks by working as a group. Can we bring to life a big puppet made of repurposed shop bags if we work together? 

With an expertise in clowning, physical theatre, movement and puppetry, Ruxy and Sarah Rose will lead this fun workshop aimed at using our imaginations to find creative solutions and bringing awareness to our relationship to rubbish.

This performance and workshop is part of our Earth Month series of events and workshops.

Cast and Creative Team

Created and performed by Ruxandra Cantir and Sarah Rose Graber
Tim Licata – Director
Melanie Jordan – Dramaturg
Fergus Dunnet – Visual Designer
Susan Bear – Sound Designer
Laura Hawkins – Lighting Designer
Zoe Williams – Production Stage Manager
Stephanie Katie Hunter for Scissor Kick – Producer
Images: Mihaela Bodlovic
Design: Gallusness

Funded by Creative Scotland Touring Fund for Theatre and Dance and Creative Scotland Open Project Fund, Surge, Plutôt La Vie, Imaginate, Platform, The Touring Network.

Two in a Barrel premiered online at Edinburgh Science Festival 2021 and will be touring rural Scotland in Spring 2022 as part of Puppet Animation Scotland’s Puppet Animation Festival 2022! Two in a Barrel is also part of The Touring Network’s Supported Programme.