Stories lie at the heart of Toadwork; old tales to tell, stories to inspire and inform, brand new stories shaped during a project, stories to describe how we feel about a place.
investigating: we ask, explore, wriggle in, crawl under, wave nets, wield magnifying glasses, identify, name, laugh… find out about things… get involved in a place.
creating: we work with our discoveries to shape those new stories or to make puppets, masks, lanterns, books…
performing: all the ideas we have grown, the things we have made feed into a final celebration – a public performance perhaps or a private event just for ourselves, a drama to share or a sculpture to leave for someone else’s celebration, a moment of quiet reflection, who knows?
reflection: running through everything else is a sense of wonder. We use activities that encourage people to look, to listen, to be still and feel, to value what they encounter both around them and within themselves. Creeping Toad projects celebrate a sense of connection and delight.
Toadquote:
“I find great delight in the combination of people and nature: underneath all my other work there has always been the principle that all education and interpretation is really about helping people discover the world around them for themselves and in themselves.”
Photos: top: c/o Laurence Crossman-Emms and Woodland Trust
All others c/o Gordon MacLellan