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Superhero Academy Environmental Adventure

Superhero academy: Environmental Adventure!

The Green, Pleasance Courtyard, until Aug 24

By Luisa Hahn

The climate crisis is real, and its consequences will affect those who are the youngest now the most. It’s undoubtedly the right time for a children’s show which educates them about rising temperatures and – most importantly – empowers them to take measures against them. By making children part of the action, Play People Production’s “Superhero Academy” does exactly that. Instead of calling for volunteers from the audience, all children are invited onto the stage by “Green Girl” and “Captain Planet” as soon as they enter the room and are part of this truly interactive performance from start to finish.

The adventure starts in Antarctica, where the “Eco heroes” engage in a snowball fight before they learn about holes in the ozone layer. Their travels take them to the rain forest, deep under the ocean, and finally into their own homes. Along the way they learn about the benefits of cycling to school, recycling, the consequences of palm oil plantations, plastic in the sea, and everyday energy saving tips. Each new location comes with a unique puppet character and a challenge for the young heroes to take on.

The puppet characters are manipulated by the actors of “Green Girl” and “Captain Planet” but voiced from a tape and live from behind the stage. While the timing with the tape was not always exact, the live voicing especially was funny, quick at improvising and able to engage also the shyer children sitting with their parents. Besides singing bins, a friendly orangutan, and a sad fish, the light-switch puppet was a crowd favourite. 

While proposed tips to combat introduced problems (e.g. drawing on both sides of a sheet of paper against rainforest deforestation) might stir up existential dread over what power individuals actually have in combatting the climate crisis in some adult audience members, the “Eco Heroes” answer questions and combat challenges in this show with such assuredness and enthusiasm that one can’t help but feel hopeful that they took from this show to act climate conscious in the future and hold “their adults” responsible, too.