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Magic world

An educational theatre company is bringing children to a specially-created environment to take part in a story. Mary Evans came along Take three actors and a mischievous parrot puppet, create a fantasy world with a magical forest and a storm-tossed sea, add in elements of pantomime, The Wizard of Oz meets 'The Crystal Maze', and what have you got? 'The Emerald Cave' - the latest project from Birmingham's Language Alive.

Take three actors and a mischievous parrot puppet, create a fantasy world with a magical forest and a storm-tossed sea, add in elements of pantomime, The Wizard of Oz meets 'The Crystal Maze', and what have you got? 'The Emerald Cave' - the latest project from Birmingham's Language Alive.

This educational theatre runs interactive drama programmes for more than 60 primary schools in the city. They are designed to fire the children's imaginations, develop their critical thinking and help them understand more about themselves and the world in which they live.

Normally the theatre company tours the schools, but for this project more than 1,150 three-to five-year-olds children travel to the company's studio at the Play House, Birmingham. Free from the constraint of having to create scenery that could be carted around the city, the team encouraged artist Claire Whitcomb to let her imagination run wild as she designed the multi-sensory set.

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