A true tale of daring, determination and dinosaurs!

10 year old Mary Anning loves to hunt for fossils on the beach near her home in Lyme Regis. The cliffs are full of secrets…people say there are monsters buried inside! A true story told with puppets, shadows and enchanting live music.

For audiences aged 5+
Audience capacity per show: 70 (or more if raked seating is available)
Performance duration: 50 mins plus 10 minute Q+A if desired
Space requirements: Playing space minimum 5.5 metres wide x 5 metres deep.

'Mary's Monsters is captivating, beautiful and touching.

An imaginatively produced show and very unique in its performance. The puppets were beautifully made and really came to life, you could believe in them and they entranced the audience. I liked the gentle but captivating pace, also the variety within the performance; music, shadow puppets – they were brilliant too – a good mixture which really worked well. Adults in our audiences enjoyed it as much as the children!'
- Maggie Wood, Education coordinator, Bromley Council Museums service.

Please go to our reviews page for more comments about Mary's Monsters.

This show has been developed with support from Arts Council England.

More about Mary's Monsters:

Mary Anning lives with her family by the sea in Lyme Regis. She has keen eyes and loves to hunt for fossils on the beach.

When geologist Professor Buckland discovers Mary's talent for finding fossils, he encourages her to learn all about them. Growing up, Mary becomes a pioneer of natural science – and a woman in a man's world.

But the cliffs are full of danger – landslides may crush your bones and the tides can sweep you away. When a powerful storm rips along the cliffs destroying half the town, it uncovers the biggest, most exciting secret of all…

This incredible true tale is told with beautifully crafted puppets and shadows, dynamic storytelling and enchanting live music. Follow young Mary as against all odds, she unearths some of the most astounding discoveries in the history of the earth sciences.

Curriculum links

Mary's Monsters links to several areas of the Key Stage 2 National Curriculum, including:

• Science - rocks and soils, living things in their environment
• Geography- coast lines, rivers, water erosion
• History - Mary Anning's life began in the Georgian era, continuing in to the Victorian era. Her family was an example of working class poverty in Britain during the early 19th century.
• PSHE - women and their place in society past and present.
• D+T and Art - the production features both tabletop style puppets and shadow puppetry, either or which could form a starting point for an art / design project.