Watermill's sensory adaptation of Morpurgo story to tour schools

The Sleeping Sword at The Watermill, Bagnor from Thursday, October 27 to Saturday, November 5. Review by SARAH BOSLEY

THE Watermill’s adaptation by Tatty Hennessy of Michael Morpurgo’s The Sleeping Sword offered an immersive and thought-provoking ride through the life of Ben Bundle and the Legend of King Arthur.

Bun – played by Aarian Mehrabani – is a young boy who goes blind following an accident on his beloved home island of Bryher. He decides to chart his story in an audio book, with the help of his new teacher Viv and his young friend Anna (Tika Mu’tamir), who was with him when he had his accident.

Viv is played by Kirsty Ferriggi, who is herself visually impaired.

The play, directed by Lucy Jane Atkinson, uses a number of creative techniques to provide a sensory experience for all.

Audio descriptions are used throughout – from describing the set in detail, to what the characters look like – and subtitles and live sound effects accompany all the scenes.

A leather jacket makes a great sail flapping in the breeze, the crunch of gravel is easily created by a box of stones and the sea – central to so much of the play – can be rough or smooth depending on how fast the bucket of water is splashed by the actors.

The tale takes the audience on a trip through Bun’s life since his accident, from the depths of his despair, to a life-changing decision at the end. And Arthurian legend, which was Bun’s favourite book to read before he went blind, begins to creep into his reality too, showing him there is a way through the darkness.

Ultimately it is a story about hope and courage to keep going and, although not perfect, this was a thoroughly enjoyable 90 minutes of theatre.

The cast will now take this play to schools around the county.