Mary’s Monsters
A true tale of daring, determination and dinosaurs!
Told with dynamic storytelling, songs, puppets and objects from the natural world.
10 year old Mary Anning loves to hunt for fossils on the beach near her home in Lyme Regis.
The cliffs are full of secrets. People say there are monsters buried inside!
For audiences aged 5+
Audience capacity per show: 60
Performance duration: 50 mins
Optional post show Q+A: 10 mins
Space requirements: Playing space minimum 3. 5m wide x 5m deep.
This piece was commissioned by the Horniman Museum in 2012 . It is designed, devised and performed by Bronia Evers.
Key themes in Mary’s Monsters:
Science - rocks and soils, life processes and living things in their environment
Geography- coast lines, rivers, water erosion
History - Mary Anning's life spanned the Georgian and Victorian eras.
Her family was an example of working class poverty in early 19th century Britain.PSHE- women and their place in society past and present.
Art, Design and Technology - puppet making
Video trailer for Mary’s Monsters
More about the story
This interactive show tells the extraordinary true story of young Mary Anning who lived in the town of Lyme Regis in Dorset, 200 years ago. Against all odds, Mary grew up to become a pioneering palaeontologist, whose finds can now be seen in the Natural History Museum in London.
Mary grows up in a poor family and has little education, but she has a rare talent for finding fossils. The cliffs near her home are full of danger - landslides may crush your bones and the tides can sweep you away.
When a powerful storm rips along the cliffs destroying half the town, it uncovers the biggest, most exciting secret of all. Mary discovers the first ever Ichthyosaurus specimen, a fossil monster that has been buried for millions of years!
Testimonials:
"Captivating, entrancing, and enjoyable. The story was really touching and heart-warming and you could see that the children were engaged by the story. I also enjoyed the interactive elements within the storytelling."
— Events programmer, The Horniman Museum
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“I liked it because it had a different ending to most stories. I thought it was really good because it had more unusual stuff in it than most shows.”
- George, age 6