White brings a show for toddlers to the festival

Understanding how childrens' minds work

This article is from 2010.

White is a show born out of an understanding of, and fascination with, the way toddlers’ minds work.

Co-creators and performers Andy Manley and Ian Cameron have kept the story and language simple, while the set has been built with award-winning puppeteer and designer Shona Reppe’s eye for fine detail. Extending beyond the performance space out into the Scottish Book Trust gardens, White gives keen-eyed little ones a chance to spot some of the show’s motifs among the trees.

The central story is of two men who live together in a white tepee, in a white world, looking after white eggs that drop from the sky. They fastidiously sweep away any bits of colour that find their way into their environment, until one day a red egg arrives. ‘There are real dilemmas and truthful emotions,’ explains Manley. ‘And it’s quite surreal – but then I think two to four-year-olds live in quite a surreal world.’

Traverse @ Scottish Book Trust, 228 1404, 6–29 Aug (not 9, 14-16 & 23), 10.30am, £6 (£5). Preview 5 Aug, 10.30am, £4.