From the mouths of babes is a well-worn phrase – but what about nine-year-olds? This collaborative show featuring nine Norwich “half-adults” tests the proposition.
Over the course of a week, Bootworks Theatre and director James Peachey-Baker worked, played and listened to their cast of eight girls and one boy, as together they created a one-hour performance.
Based on the format of previous incarnations of Nine from different locations, the show mixes pre-recorded prompts with the children’s own views and ideas, coming together in front of an audience of, mostly, family and friends at The Garage.
From their favourite Norwich locations – Gravity trampoline park and Chantry Place shopping centre proved popular, with a slightly suspicious number one spot for the host venue itself – to their views on politics and popular culture (Taylor Swift scored (mostly) high, Donald Trump less so), they set out their perspectives on what it means to be nine.
Reassuringly they mostly seem a happy bunch, appreciative of the relative freedom of their age while also on the cusp of hankering for later bedtimes, phones, and – in one case – a respite from having to eat mushrooms. They know more about adult life than we might think, and have an understanding of the trade offs that it brings.
It’s a nippy, entertaining, and gently challenging show; the look to the future, complete with AI images of and their own letters to their future selves, is perhaps the most impactful element. With so much potential, they’re a fine bunch for a fine city.
- The Norfolk and Norwich Festival continues until 25 May 2025
