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NOAH AND THE PEACOCK

A Zoom play for young people
by Jeff James

Nottingham Playhouse 2020

Director Jeff James
Design Rosanna Vize
Sound Kieran Lucas

Cast 
Gabrielle Brooks
Patricia Davenport
Bradley Foster
 Danusia Samal
Kyle Soller
The Guardian by Chris Wiegand

Nottingham Playhouse’s virtual premiere of writer-director Jeff James’s Noah and the Peacock sets out a blueprint for making a live family show online in this period of limbo. It makes smart use of familiar technology, keeps the warmth and interaction essential to children’s theatre, and reframes a well-worn story with a message that will resonate with a young audience growing increasingly disorientated by school closures...

In the gallery view on Zoom we see a colourful assortment of bedrooms and living rooms, with audiences wearing animal onesies, face-paint and masks, which are downloadable from the theatre’s website (along with an activity pack). We are sorted into three different groups of animals – Aggie and I are “growlers”, Hilda is a “honker” – and it’s quickly apparent that making as much noise as possible is encouraged.