Art with Heart presents  ‘Stan’ 

Sam is a happy, dinosaur loving 8-year-old whose world turns upside down after his parents separate. As he takes himself off to the far end of the school field he meets Alex, a deaf girl with a vivid imagination – and an impressive collection of dinosaurs. 

Bonding over boring packed lunches and their favourite  fierce T-Rex, the pair form an unlikely friendship. When things at home become too difficult for Sam, Alex whisks him away on an astonishing adventure to meet the almighty  Stan, the gigantic T-Rex at Manchester Museum. 

Think Pixar’s Inside Out meets Night at the Museum, Stan is well worth a visit this Winter!  

A powerful and poignant new play by Sarah Emmott, Stan celebrates the power of play, the joy of communication and the positive force of friendship. Featuring awesome animated dinosaurs, Stan is written and performed in English and British Sign Language and embeds creative captions within the set.  

‘Powerful, timely and valuable’- Teacher 

‘Inclusive, important and joyful’ – Audience Member 

“Stan is literally ‘roaring’ with excitement while also asking some of the difficult life questions that people of all ages face”- ‘Ben Faulks AKA Mr. Bloom from CBeebies’  

Manchester Museum will be popping up with some fascinating objects from the Museum’s collections. Discover more about extinct creatures such as ammonites and Ichthyosaurs. Prepare to be wowed by the size of a Megalodon tooth, an extinct species that lived approximately 23 – 3.6 million years ago, and have the opportunity to get close to various fossils of plant life, seas creatures, and shells some of which were around during the time of the Dinosaurs.

Advisory notes:

Themes: Stan explores themes of parental separation.
Loud noises: There are 5 minutes in which loud dinosaur noises are played intermittently. Ear Defenders will be available. However, if you own a pair please bring your own.
Late comers’ policy: We are happy to admit latecomers at any point during the performance.

Access:
Stan is written and performed in English and British Sign Language and embeds creative captions within the set. The post-performance workshop will be BSL Interpreted. We have worked with Deaf-led organisations, deaf children and Manchester Deaf Centre in developing the production and supporting workshops.

Free Workshop:

In this free 30 minute workshop straight after the performance, we’ll explore the play’s key themes and we will collectively create letters to the characters using the strength and bravery we have all gained from our friend, Stan the T-Rex. The workshop will be BSL interpreted. This workshop has been made with both deaf and hearing children in mind and will be BSL Interpreted. Children can get involved as much or as little as they would like.

Creative Creadits 

Sam: Ross Thompson 

Alex: Alexandra James 

Mum: Gemma Green 

Written by Sarah Emmott 

Directed by Jon McGrath 

Lighting and Sound Design by Alex Willy 

Animation by Triple Dot Makers 

Set and costume design by Irene Jade 

Commissioned by Z arts. Funded by Arts Council England. With support from Greater Manchester Combined Authority, The Lady Neville Charity, The Granada Foundation, Touchstones and the Backstage Trust. This project has been made possible by a grant from Postcode Community Trust, a grant-giving charity funded entirely by players of People’s Postcode Lottery.

M15 resident or a Z-arts Bright Sparks member? You may be eligible for discounted tickets. Chat to our Box Office team for more details, or log into your account to receive an automatic discount at the checkout! 

If you’re having problems booking online – Please ring or email our Box Office to book your place 0161 226 1912/ boxoffice@z-arts.org