Going for gold with interactive theatre at Lyme

Sensory theatre performance ‘Told in Gold’ comes to the National Trust property this summer

Parts of Lyme’s garden will be transformed into a mysterious maze of giant set pieces, including a birds nest big enough for dozens of people to enter, as part of an all-new outdoor theatre experience for families, running from 20th to 24th August.

The Lost Words: Told in Gold is a fully immersive and interactive show, and just one of several events at Lyme this year based on Robert MacFarlane and Jackie Morris’s beloved and award-winning children’s book of poems and illustrations. The Lost Words was written to counteract words of nature disappearing from children’s vocabularies, words such as acorn, otter, magpie and heather. The book  aims to bring these words back into the minds and imaginations of children, and ensure that interest in and care of wild spaces isn’t lost to future generations. The Lost Words: Told in Gold will be running alongside Lyme’s family trail also based on the book, and a series of summer activities developed to encourage families to get back to nature. 

The theatre company behind The Lost Words: Told in Gold have previously performed at Just So and Woodlands Festivals with another work based on the book, entitled Seek, Find, Speak. They will be giving an exclusive preview of Told in Gold as part of Manchester Festival of Nature at Heaton Park on 30 June, but Lyme will be hosting the first full experience.

The Lost Words: Told in Gold, has been created as a fully sensory experience for children aged 4+, and is also designed to be an accessible experience for visitors with with visual impairments, SEN or autism. Spoken sections will be performed in Makaton (simplified sign language).

The National Trust would like to ensure that all participants feel relaxed and welcome at this performance. If visitors would like more details of the production, or a visit to the event space before the performance starts, they are encouraged to get in touch with Lyme Estate office on 01663762023 or lyme@nationaltrust.org.uk.