Strong message of eco-conservation from
Eden College youngsters. (Review by Caroline Smart)
Eden Schools partnered with award-winning
social enterprise Clothes to Good to re-stage Norman Klutsky: Eco Warrior of the High Seas for one performance as
a showcase to encourage caring Durbanites to be part of Moving Mountains.
Moving Mountains focuses on children
leading the way with innovative inclusive projects to simultaneously empower
young entrepreneurs with disabilities while offering sustainable,
incentive-driven recycling solutions.
Norman
Klutsky: Eco Warrior of the High Seas is directed
and produced by Jean van Elden and created by her and the cast who are part of
her eco-saving organisation, proceeds of which have contributed a major amount
of money to Operation Rhino to date.
The cast comprises 13 youngsters from Eden
College in Durban from Grades 5 to 7 and ranging in age from 10 to 14. They
have performed the show in Cape Town and Hilton and are on their way to Mauritius
for Marine Week. It features some delightful puppets created by Peter Court.
Before the show, a group of much younger
learners presented a little piece about the disposal of trash. Supported by
Moving Mountains, this formed a perfect introduction to what was to come with Norman Klutsky: Eco Warrior of the High Seas.
Norman (represented by a puppet) is a
youngster who loves all books. When we meet him, he is bemoaning the fact that
he feels invisible and he dreams of being a superhero. His classmates urge him
to follow his dream. They remove a layer of his clothing to reveal a kind of
Superman costume. He is told to go towards the beach and, with the assistance
of the cast, he discovers he can fly. At the beach, he meets a few fishermen
and impresses on them the reasons for not throwing empty cool drink cans into
the sea.
The fish, cast members complete with
head-dresses, tell him that the biggest problem is Captain Carbuncle who has
created an Island of Trash in the middle of the ocean. Norman is sent to find
Thandi the Whale (beautiful puppet imagery here) who can guide him to the
island.
Captain Carbuncle is found crying
desperately. He has seen the error of his ways but the more he tries to clean
up the trash, the more appears. Norman agrees to help him and so the story
continues to its conclusion spreading a strong message of eco-conservation.
The young cast members are committed and
energetic, some of them taking on different characters and accents. There are
also several dance numbers, all performed with efficiency.
Congratulations to all involved,
particularly Jean van Elden, for supporting conservation issues so strongly. –
Caroline Smart
For more information on Moving Mountains,
contact Jesse Naidoo on 074 242 7414 or email jesse@c2cx.co.za
For more information on Clothes to Good,
visit www.c2cx.co.za
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