Dare to experience the dangers and delights of Dinosaur World Live in this Olivier award-winning interactive show for all the family. Grab your compass and join our intrepid explorer across uncharted territories to discover a pre-historic world of astonishing (and remarkably life-like) dinosaurs. Meet a host of impressive creatures, including every child's favourite flesh-eating giant, the Tyrannosaurus Rex, a Triceratops, Giraffatitan, Microraptor and Segnosaurus! Join us for a free meet and greet after the show, where all our brave explorers can make a new dinosaur friend. This show is recommended for ages 3 and up.
Before Dinosaur World Live stops at Walton Arts Center for one performance only on Tuesday April 28 at 6 pm, asked the writer and director Derek Bond a few questions.
How would you describe Dinosaur World Live?
Miranda has grown up around dinosaurs on a far-off island, she’s brought some of her friends, and she’d love you to meet them. It’s an inspirational 50-minute interactive show with giant dinosaurs. Our biggest is nearly 32 feet long, and takes four people to puppeteer it.
What has excited you most about working on the show?
Watching the dinosaurs come to life – there’s a moment in rehearsals when the puppeteers get it right, and this collection of metal, plastic and paint is suddenly alive in front of you. That, and seeing children’s reactions when they see the show!
What does the typical dino rehearsal day look like?
We always start with a physical warm up – puppeteering the dinosaurs is hard physical work, and the team have to warm up like dancers or athletes do. Then we’ll look at a scene “unadorned” – that’s where the puppeteers moving around the space without the puppet, but using their hands and legs in the same way they will when they are operating the puppet. We do this because the dinosaurs are heavy, and you can’t keep stopping and thinking about what to do when someone is holding 55 pounds on their shoulders! When we have a shape for the scene that we’re happy with, the puppeteers will get inside the dinosaur, and we’ll test the shape out. Laura Cubitt (our brilliant puppet director) will spot the details that will help the puppeteers to make the dinosaur really “live” – it might be a breath, or a look or a blink. After running it couple of times, we swap puppeteers – all our puppeteers can operate all the parts of each puppet, though they all have their favorites.
Tell us about the audience reaction to the giant T-Rex?
It’s amazing. When Titus (our T-Rex) emerges, the audiences either jump out of their seats or hide under them! But when Miranda needs help to drive Titus back off the stage, everybody joins in. It’s a great to see children overcoming their fear and fiercely roaring at a 32 foot long T-Rex!
Why should people come and see Dinosaur World Live and what do you hope audiences will take away?
It’s an inspirational show – it fires the imagination and teaches you things you might not know about famous dinosaurs like T-rex and triceratops, but also introduces you to dinosaurs you might not have heard of like microraptor and segnosaurus. My hope is that audiences will come out desperate to know more about dinosaurs, and with their imaginations working on all cylinders. It’s also interactive, encouraging the whole audience to get involved.
Who do you think are easier to direct? Humans or dinosaurs?
You can tempt them with food, but if they don’t want to do something they can be really stubborn. And the dinosaurs can be hard work too.
