The Chronicles of Atom and Luna 2024 Tour
EVALUATION REPORT
ABOUT FUNNELWICK LIMB
Funnelwick Limb exists to develop cross platform storytelling work, primarily but not exclusively, for family audiences. We combine live performance with family-friendly VR experiences, games and audio content with good old school books We want to inspire and enable digitally-savvy young people to get lost in language, learn how to create their own stories using different mediums and develop a live performance habit. We want to nurture a new generation of cultural creators and consumers, equipped and hungry for words and the kinds of cultural experiences we can’t yet imagine, unhindered by the barriers to engagement that exist for many today. Funnelwick Limb grew out of the success of The Mystery of the Raddlesham Mumps (launched in April 2019 to critical acclaim – as a book, as an audio drama, as a tablet game, as a VR experience and as a live show). www.funnelwicklimb.com
Funnelwick Limb are in alphabetical order:Nina Hajiyiani (Creative Director), Matthew Linley (Creative Producer), Bek Palmer (designer) and Murray Lachlan Young (writer)
THE NEW PRODUCTION OF THE CHRONICLES OF ATOM AND LUNA
The new production of The Chronicles of Atom and Luna was led by a new director (Scott Hurran) and LX designer and welcomed a new cast
The Chronicles of Atom and Luna - cast
Victoria Chen
Kate Milner
Chileya Mwampulo
Alex Scott Fairley
Directed by Scott Hurran
Written by Murray Lachlan Young
Designed by Bek Palmer
Lighting design by Catja Hamilton
Music and sound design by Chris Warner
Stage Managed by Sophie Gitsham
SUMMARY AND OVERVIEW
Audience Satisfaction. 95% of our audience gave the show either 4 or 5 stars, and reviews were consistently 4 or 5 stars
Audience reviews included:-
● “Original, enchanting, storytelling at its finest”
● “A beautiful and uplifting experience which we will remember for a very long time”
● “The best show ever”
● “So much was AMAZING – lighting, puppetry, sound but felt so simple and so beautiful”
● “Trust in the way of things – what a beautiful show Amazing cast, words, set and sound”
● “Stunning piece of considered theatre, thought provoking & accessible. Definitely perfect candidate for future funding – all the luck, support and love”
For a full list of audience quotes see Appendix One
PART OF OUR BUSIEST YEAR YET
As the following infographics show the tour of Atom and Luna was a key part of one of our busiest years yet
THE TOUR VENUES
13 September - Harwich Arts and Heritage Centre (2 shows)
18 September - Helston, Cornwall with Carn to Cove
21-22 September - Barnfield Theatre, Exeter Northcott (3 shows)
25 September - Jaywick, Sunspot (2 shows)
28 September - Half Moon Theatre (2 shows)
29-30 September - Chelmsford Theatre (3 shows)
5-6 October - Key Theatre, Peterborough (3 shows)
10-12 October - Applause Rural Touring (3 shows)
13-14 October - Theatre Royal Winchester (3 shows)
17-19 October - Theatre Porto (5 shows)
20 October - Waterside Arts
26-27 October - The Carriageworks, Leeds (3 shows)
29-30 October - Riding Lights Theatre, York ( 2 shows)
1-2 November - Theatre Hullabaloo (2 shows)
ARTISTIC QUALITY - AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
At nearly every show we ran pre and post show activities which allowed children and families to further engage with the show. The activity included
- An exhibition, featuring Bek Palmer’s illustrations for Atom and Luna and photographs which showed the development of the show from the R&D through to performance
- The story phone - a chance to listen to one of the 6 Atom and Luna stories on our story phone We also demonstrated the Atom and Luna AR game
- Post show we gave audiences the opportunity to meet the puppets and the actors
- Post show we asked audiences to respond to a simple child centred feedback exercise.
The child centred feedback exercise
● “The post-show engagement with the audience was a great part of the experience….it was a great starting point for conversation, most of which can't be reflected in a council report.”
We used a series of simple questions, and a 5 star rating to encourage children to tell us what they thought of Atom and Luna We also asked them to write on a luggage label the three words they would use to describe Atom and Luna Finally there was an invitation to provide further feedback, the results of which can be found in Appendix One.
As well as giving us valuable insight into how the show was landing with audiences, and extending the theatre experience beyond the show, we also noted how the exercise encouraged guardians to engage in conversations with their children about the show.
However we do know the star system is a crude tool One of our creatives noted:-
● “Personally I find the star system not an accurate reflection of how audiences really felt; some children enjoyed themselves, yet shared that they would not recommend the show to their friends, because they had the maturity to consider if their friends would like this particular genre of storytelling. I think the council should take this variance into consideration, or perhaps do away with the arbitrary star system”
The process clearly worked well - but it's something we can develop and work on in the future.
The exhibition from 4 of our venues
What 3 words best describe the show
The following word cloud sumarises the responses to the what 3 words exercise.
Audience Reviews
complete list of the audience ‘luggage el’ reviews is included in Appendix One
also asked our on and off stage team if y had heard audience feedback which ant something to them This is what y said:-
much of it. really been something of a privilege to be able to meet audiences as they leave, and hear/see their feedback, and introduce them the puppets. It's been a profoundly moving experience on occasion, especially to see own-ups and young people feeling empowered to discuss big topics through the lens of the play, which I think provides a 'safe' y into conversations about being a parent, what happens when parents can't parent, working was especially struck at Half Moon by the absolutely own-ups) sat on the floor had on their faces. I also remember the older lady in Harwich who described the show as "for the child in us all," which is something I think is exceptionally important. We're all expected to grow up, and hide that inner child, but there's something wonderful about a story that allows us to let that child out. I've been heartened as well by the number of young people who have talked passionately and knowledgeably about hares, birds, butterflies, and wildlife in general. And probably most importantly, the lady in Leeds, who brought foster children, who - although initially upset by the abandonment of Atom and Luna - at the end found the show incredibly affirming because it told them that they weren't alone. I think the power the story has to do that is incredible.”
“The live feedback from young audiences is brilliant. You instantly know if something is working or not!”
“Two mums said to me as they left- “our children really enjoyed that but to be honest we two were totally immersed in the world and loved it so much. We were taken back to our childhoods”. Lovely.”
What People Told Us
The data we collected on tour was as follows
Performance and Artistic Elements:
Exceptional Star Ratings:
The overwhelming majority of respondents awarded the performance, actors, and puppets 5 stars, indicating a high level of satisfaction This consistency across all three areas points to the quality of the work
Audience Recommendation:
A significant 83% of respondents would recommend Atom and Luna to friends and family (53% "Absolutely" and 30% "Yes") - a key indicator of audience satisfaction.
many stars would you give the
many stars for the actors
many stars for the puppets
Question Absolutely Yes Maybe Unlikely to Not at all
Would you recommend Atom and Luna to friends and family?
Unsurprisingly given the evaluation methodology was targeted at children the largest audience segment was children aged 6-11 (43%) - interesting to see 11% of the audience was in the 0-6 age range.
A significant portion of the audience were regular theatregoers, with 45% having attended within the last six months.
The presence of 9% first-time attendees is a positive sign, indicating the production's ability to attract new audiences to theatre.
The data shows a healthy range of how often people attend the theatre, which shows that the show was able to attract both regular theatre goers and people who attend less often
When did you last come to the theatre?
Been already this week
in the last month
since April 2024
since Jan 2023
at Christmas 2023
sometime in 2023
been before, not sure when
Key Observations and Implications of our audience feedback
The feedback shows the project had
Strong Appeal to Children:
Significant Positive Word-of-Mouth Potential: The high recommendation rate shows that Atom and Luna has strong potential for generating positive word of mouth marketing, something we didn't take full advantage of this time round We could look to add a video/audio element to the wrap around work to capture this in the future
Did manage a mix of new attendees (9%), infrequent attenders (32%) and regular theatre goers (68%)
High Artistic Quality:
TENDRING
A key objective for us was establishing ourselves in our new home of Harwich Arts and Heritage Centre in Tendring (Priority Place) Having been in Harwich for nearly two years the Atom and Luna project has played a key role in establishing our presence in the district, fostering our ongoing growth (see Our Busiest Year Yet).
● "Special to take a team trip out to Sunspot (Jaywick) to see Funnelwick Limb's magical Atom and Luna We always imagined Sunspot would host plays, music and all manner of events so it's great to see this happening more and more – a year almost to the day the building was opened" Hana Loftus, HAT projects
We gave four performances in Tendring: two at Harwich Arts Centre and two at Jaywick Sunspot, marking Funnelwick Limb as the first theatre company to perform at the Sunspot venue Crucially, these four performances enabled the distribution of free tickets to pupils of Martin Frobisher Academy and families utilising the Essex Child and Family Wellbeing Service, ensuring accessibility for those who might otherwise be unable to attend
● “AMAZING!!! Thank you for inviting me to watch Atom and Luna this afternoon – I'm thrilled that young people get to experience such high quality live theatre I want my own hare, butterflies, bird and wolf! My only regret was not seeing it tonight, I think it's going to be magical!” Jessica Bryan, Tourism Arts & Events Manager, Tendring District Council
In total, 295 individuals experienced the performances across the four shows in Tendring
The overall tour expenditure for Atom and Luna amounted to £110,000, with a substantial 34%, or £38,025, being directly invested within and around the Tendring area, demonstrating a strong local economic impact
Funnelwick Limb's commitment to child-centered work was evident throughout the project. Starting in Harwich, the performances provided young people with the unique opportunity to interact with the puppets and cast, and to offer their feedback, fostering a sense of engagement and ownership. 70 pupils from Mayflower Primary School in Harwich were given the chance to attend free rehearsal room run-throughs, further enriching their experience
Extending this engagement beyond the performances, in 2024, "Mr Hare" and our team of outreach workers (including both Murray and Matthew) have visited 13 schools across the region, interacting with over 1,200 pupils
Funnelwick Limb were delighted to be highly commended at the 2024 Tendring District Council Business Awards in the Creativity and Culture category
You can read the Shared Prosperity Fund Funnelwick Limb report here
THE TEAM
Atom and Luna is at its heart a partnership between four creative practitioners (Murray, Nina, Bek, and Matthew). The temporary departure of one of those four key members did of course create a significant creative vacuum, but it did also become an opportunity for us to meet and work with new directors.
We successfully linked our outreach work with recruitment - allowing us the opportunity to work with 5 directors - initially in a school workshop setting, and then following up with a more informal conversation. That led to the appointment of Scot Hurran as director for the 2024 production
We also expanded our team in other ways too.
Working with Scott the 2024 production saw the integration of a new lighting designer, three new actors, and a stage manager. This infusion of fresh talent revitalised the production and brought new perspectives and nuance1
The project also saw us grow our outreach team (we worked with 6 facilitators across the project), work with 3 crew (all from Tendring) and 1 general support staff
PARTNERSHIPS
We are a limited company moving towards a CIC, and as such we rely heavily on strong partnerships for our artistic and operational success. The enduring partnerships with Theatre Porto and Eastern Angles (both of whom have worked with us since our inception) remain crucial to Atom and Luna's sustainability and development
For the 2024 Theatre Porto and Eastern Angles support included:-
Theatre Porto
Strategic Support / Network
Eastern Angles
Strategic guidance, advocacy Strategic guidance, advocacy
1 But see also the comments in creative feedback about the challenge of reviving an existing show with considerable personnel change in just 2 weeks rehearsal plus production week
Building and support, valued at £1k and support, valued at 1k
Personnel
Provided Nina Hajiyianni’s time in kind (reduced in 2024 but very much still there) Valued at £1k
We benefited from considerable soft support from the EA team during production week, and the team were also able to point us to skilled freelancers
Investment
In Kind support
Future Collaboration
£2,000 for a week of shows
Ongoing discussions indicate a strong commitment to future collaborative projects
Provision of Eastern Angles as a production space, valued at £1k
Ongoing discussions indicate a strong commitment to future collaborative projects
Totals
Value circa £4k
APPENDIX ONE - AUDIENCE FEEDBACK
Audience Reviews
Value circa £2 5k
“STUNNING PIECE OF CONSIDERED THEATRE, THOUGHT PROVOKING AND ACCESSIBLE. DEFINITELY PERFECT CANDIDATE FOR FURTHER FUNDING - ALL THE LUCK, SUPPORT AND LOVE TO YOUR COMPANY”
“I THOUGHT THE SHOW WAS VERY FUN AND INTERESTING”
“A LOVELY ENCHANTING SHOW FOR CHILDREN AND CHILDREN AT HEART”
“A BEAUTIFUL AND UPLIFTING EXPERIENCE WHICH WE WILL REMEMBER FOR A LONG TIME TO COME - THANK YOU”
“A BEAUTIFUL SHOW - MAGICAL. FUNNY. EMOTIONAL - PERFECT. FULL OF NATURE AND TEACHINGS - WONDERFUL”
“FABULOUS SHOW. THE SET WAS REALLY CLEVER AND THE SCRIPT SO POETIC. I ENJOYED THE MULTI ROLE ACTING AND HOW THE WHOLE AUDIENCE WERE ERUPTING IN LAUGHTER AT THE RIGHT MOMENTS”
“I REALLY LOVED THE SHOW - IT WAS THE BEST”
“I REALLY LOVED THE SHOW - IT WAS THE BEST SHOW EVER”
“I LOVE IT”
“ATOM AND LUNA - FABULOUS SHOW CHILDREN LOVED IT”
“HOW CAN FOUR PEOPLE DO ALL THAT?”
“MY FAVOURITE SHOW SO FAR - FIVE STARS”
“I’LL BE SINGING MUSHROOMS FOR TEA ALL THE WAY HOME ENCHANTING, BEAUTIFUL, PUPPETRY MARVEL”
“ORIGINAL, ENCHANTING STORY-TELLING AT ITS FINEST THANK YOU”
“ENCHANTING, PHILOSOPHICAL, EMPOWERING KIDS LOVED IT AND SO DID THE ADULTS SO MUCH WAS AMAZING - ACTING< LIGHTING< PUPPETRY<SOUND BUT FELT SI SIMPLE AND BEAUTIFUL”
“TRUST IN THE WAY OF THINGS - WHAT A BEAUTIFUL SHOW AMAZING CAST, WORDS, SET AND SOUND”
“OUTSTANDING, STUNNING, CREATIVE SET UP - LIKE NOTHING I’VE SEEN BEFOREWICKED”
“I LOVED THIS SHOW SO MUCH AND WANTED TO SEE THIS AGAIN. AMAZING. THANK YOU”
“CHARMING, HEART WARMING (little tear at the end), SOPHISTICATED AND ENCHANTING. LOVE IT”
“A WONDERFUL PRODUCTION THAT CALLED TO MIND THE FAIRY TALES OF OLD, HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSSON, THE BROTHERS GRIMM, ANGELA CARTER AND THE MOVIE LABYRINTH. A FOREST POSITIVE TALE OF BRAVERY AND PERSEVERANCE - A DELIGHT FOR YOUNG AND OLD”
“I LOVED IT”
“IT’S THE BEST”
“REALLY BEAUTIFUL PRODUCTION”
“IT WAS SCARY BUT AMAZING”
“I LIKED IT WHEN SPIDER SCARED MUMMY”
“WONDERFUL PLAY WITH MAGICAL PUPPETS AND MUSHROOMS”
“I LOVED IT - I WANT TO WATCH IT AGAIN”
“AN AMAZING SHOW”
“I LOVE IT - IT’S WONDERFUL”
“IT FELT GOOD”
“I LIKED IT BECAUSE IT WAS FUNNY”
“SUPER SUPER AMAZING”
“LOVE THE HARE”
“REALLY GOOD - LOVED IT”
“I LOVED IT BECAUSE IT WAS A NEW EXPERIENCE AND IT WAS FUNNY”
“I LIKED THE WOLF BECAUSE IT WAS SCARY”
“IT WAS ABSOLUTELY EXTRAORDINARY”
“I LOVED THE SHOW - WHAT A BEAUTIFUL STORY I LOVED THE ACTORS AND MY PICTURE WITH LUNA AND THE BUTTERFLIES”
“WHAT A WONDERFUL PERFORMANCE 5 STAR CAST AND SET FANTASTIC STORY AND MORAL AT THE END. 7 YEAR OLD WAS COMPLETELY SPELL BOUND THROUGHOUT”
“A LOVELY TALE FOR CHILDREN AND ADULTS”