Send a teacher into space

Carrie is lost. A young teacher who’s struggling to come terms with her mother’s passing, Carrie wanders aimlessly through her daily life looking for direction. while sorting through her late mother’s belongings she comes across a tape recorder, that contains a message from the maternal figure that she misses dearly. Hearing her voice again not only provides comfort, but also gives her a much needed sense of purpose that propels Carrie to go on a voyage that will take her on a journey far further than she ever thought possible.

Voyager is the latest offering from esteemed physical theatre company Idle Motion. Many of the young cast are also Artistic Directors and Producers in the company and it shows, as they perform with real conviction and a genuine sensitivity, they are portraying so much more than merely characters as for them Voyager is a palpable labour of love.

At the school where Carrie (who is played by the bright-eyed and emotionally nuanced Grace Chapman) works, the fragments of dialogue are littered with recognisable schoolteacher tropes such as: ‘that bell is for me not for you’ and ‘ slow down, there’s no need to run Mr.’ As Jason, Julian Spooner is particularly humourous as he nails the PE teacher who seems all too convinced that the whole of year of eleven should be solely focusing on the rounders lesson he’s teaching and nothing else.

A distracted Carrie, joins this gaggle of well observed teachers for an after school all staff briefing; where they learn that they can to apply for the new ‘Teacher Goes To Mars’ programme. Bemused at first by this far from conventional field trip, it soon pricks a few of their interests, including Carrie’s, who despite not consulting with her finance first feels compelled to apply for the programme.

The deceptively simple white backdrop is used a wide variety of manners. In parts high quality projections and space landing footage is projected onto it. Different compartments from the backdrop act as unexpected entrances and facilitate seamless transitions. The use of perspex screens with a thin border of white lights to evoke flashbacks of her parents was touchingly beautiful.

Everything about Voyager feels considered, from Chris Bartholomew’s futuristic and voyage evoking soundscape, to Greg Cebula’s and Ellen Nabarro’s lightning design and l design respectively complement Idle Motion’s cleverly crafted physical theatre. The combination of these elements, coupled with moments of stillness and almost weightless slow motion are utterly transfixing.

A recurring motif that runs throughout Voyager is the idea that we live in a world where we all spend too much time absorbed in our smartphones, that we don’t take the time to truly appreciate the beauty of the world around us. A poignant message, executed in a innovative, considered, self reflexive and insightful manner.