Blue Planet
Pegasus Theatre, Friday 24th November 2000

Earthdate: 24.11.2000 (1930 hours). Geospatial location: Pegasus Youth Theatre, East Oxford. A team of intrepid space travellers from a distant and advanced galaxy arrive on our planet; their Mission: to alert the assembled earthlings to the imminent crisis faced by humankind...

Blue Planet, a multi-media evening of environmental theatre and information, took the Pegasus by storm on Friday night to a house full of locals from the ages of nought to ninety. The brainchild of the Oxford-based charity The Millenium Debate (www.millennium-debate.org), which aims to engender wider discussion of environmental issues, the evening was a taster of the Blue Planet Day which the charity has taken to Year 8 pupils in 14 local schools since November 1999. A clever amalgamation of drama and education, the first half of the evening consisted of the aliens' journey to find the amazing Spaceship Earth and warn its occupants that their natural resources will soon run out, dogged all the while by the evil plots of NASA (international oil suppliers!). The second half demonstrated how Blue Planet Day works in practice, featuring video footage of the event filmed by the kids involved. The audience was also treated to music, fashion and foodie treats, all created with the use of environmentally-friendly materials.

The alien perspective on the earthlings' strange disregard for their habitat was presented in an interesting and fun way, and the kids loved having the opportunity to participate. We all marvelled at the figures ticking away on the giant dashboard of Spaceship Earth showing real-time population growth, deforestation and erosion rates, etc., and an awareness of how absurdly we humans neglect our own habitat was thereby successfully kindled. The play by Caroline Foulk was well-written and performed with enthusiasm and vigour,with famed East Oxford resident Groovy Su stealing the show with her portrayal of a fashion-obsessed ultimate consumer, rapping and prancing about to the delight of all. Ray Foulk was an able Master of Ceremonies, and the Pegasus generally proved an excellent venue for such interactive and innovative entertainment. The Blue Planet team bring an inspiring and optimistic attitude to environmental issues which kids will remember for time to come.

Su Jordan, 24 / 11 / 00