At the base of a strangely circus-tent like hill, Meryl, the giant earthworm (with her side-kick, Nigel the Nematode), calls ‘roll up, roll up…’.
As the audience tunnels into the hill, an underground wonderland is revealed within. Tree roots meet webs of mycorrhizal fungi. Billions of bacteria, minute nematodes and giant creepy crawlies present acts of daring skill and dazzling spectacle.
Welcome to the underground circus!
DIRT, a circus adventure underground, is an immersive, multi-sensory performance and installation for intergenerational audiences (5+). Inspired by Lewis Carol’s classic tale, DIRT invites audiences to fall down the worm-hole and journey underground into the living ecosystem of the soil, exploring our connection to the earth and each other.
With striking immersive design, aerial circus, puppetry, integrated audio description (a narrating earthworm), multisensory worm tunnels, and elements of participation & co-creation, DIRT aims to shine a head torch on the incredible living ecosystem of the soil & its links to climate crisis & recovery, offering hope in the power of working together for change:
“We might be very little, but worms are even smaller than us & they change the soil, right? In their mass numbers they make all the difference.” (Dr Fotis Sgouridis, soil scientist & project consultant)
The show is being created with input from young people and families in London & the North East, with consultation from an interdisciplinary team of academics from The University of Bristol, and creative input from Ockham’s Razor and Quiplash.
DIRT is available for bookings in Summer/Autumn 2025.
