Writer: Isla van Tricht

Director: Fay Lomas

Just how young can you be before you can start searching for your dreams? Does age factor into it at all or is perhaps sailing the high seas better left to the grownups? Sea Girl, an interactive choose-your-own-adventure rigs the mast and brings the worlds oceans to homes across the globe where audiences can dive with dolphins, explore the Caribbean and take care of one bad-tempered kitten. Taking inspiration from the extraordinary life of the worlds youngest solo explorer Laura Dekker,Sea Girlfinds sisters Naomi and Ellen desperate to undergo their own adventure.

As a piece of interactive media, particularly for children Sea Girlis exceptionally user-friendly, bucking the trend where usual productions struggle with links and loading pages to further the story. It makes for a dynamic shift in pacing, where when required, the story can duck and weave between light-heartened, and even a tad grimmer for audiences never verging on dark or intimidating, but enough to communicate the severity of the situation.

Fay Lomas frames Isal van Trichts story simply, fixing set paths but enabling audiences to make choices and mistakes with ease, offering a snippet of time to choose the characters next actions at each chapters end.

Particularly worth investigating is the inclusive nature of the production, with an experience accompanied by a diverse exploration of sensory textures but thanks toRahana Bananas illustrations (with Jack Leighs animation and Tim Baxters video production)Sea Girlis a splendiferousvisual extravaganza with a softness to the colour palette, not too striking or vivid, furthering the natural accessibility of the piece.

Though performance elements primarily occur via voice-over of the Golden era storybook aesthetics of interactive imagery, the brief live-action moments are handled well where, thankfully, any sibling irritations concerning age are played off as minor grievances rather than the more obtuse and damaging attitudes we are familiar with. The pairs voice-over artists (differing from their live-action portrayal), Helen Crevel and Natalya Martin, capture a necessary sense of maturity when speaking with younger audiences on the dangers of sea travel and the climate pollution crisis.

It all aids in securing Trichts writing, pushing it away from areas of preaching, and instead naturally encourages questions surrounding plastic and wildlife conservation. Both Crevel and Martin bring a delicacy to their role, conveying emotion effortlessly, and tempering their voices for a younger audience. The brief live-action skits find Oilvea Puci and Zahra-Rose Cooke bringing a physicality to the sisters, directed well by Fay Lomas, their parts within the story may be limited but theres a charm to their sisterly connection.

With a multitude of avenues to explore, from the safe to the more exhilarating, Carbon Theatre produces a tightly compact piece that focuses its attention on a widespread audience. An encouraging production, which plays to the strengths of digital theatre rather than falls into the limitations, Sea Girl will keep audiences engaged and active long after theyve had their maiden voyage.

Sea Girl runs here until 30 April 2022

The Reviews Hub Score

Vivid, delightfully interactive

More here:

Sea Girl Carbon Theatre - The Reviews Hub