'MONARCH' Touring to Your Primary School: Speech Writing, Butterflies, Scientists, Environment

Monarch is a theatre show that mixes vivid characters, comedy, and physical theatre. Performed by dynamic duo Katie Burson and Beth Kayes and featuring costumes by award winning designer Elizabeth Whiting, Monarch is about speech writing, butterflies, scientists and the environment.

Monarch follows Lea who is writing her speech for school about the importance of butterflies. Her Grandma is a butterfly scientist who works to protect and preserve monarchs in her area. Lea’s speech writing is interrupted by Carlo the caterpillar. He is claustrophobic and afraid to go into a chrysalis. Lea convinces him to overcome his fear of change by telling him incredible facts about butterflies and their central place in myths and legends.

Meanwhile a city planner announces her scheme to build a motorway that will destroy the butterfly winter home. Lea and her Grandma suggest a tunnel so that the city’s progress and nature, can co-exist. The city planner threatens Grandma. Lea is worried but her Grandma gives her a ‘Scientists From The Past’ Time Machine so she can learn about the courage of scientists. The madcap machine conjures up the courageous Marie Curie, Galileo and David Attenborough.

Lea is inspired and determined to help her Grandma to save the butterfly winter home. When the city planner and Grandma come to a deadlock Lea is called on to step into her Grandmother’s shoes and speak up. She is terrified but overcomes her nerves and delivers her speech, just in time!

Suitability: School Y1–6

Duration: 50 minutes

Price: $4 per student. 

Rave reviews

“Thanks for the great show, terrific feedback from teachers and students. We will book again, please keep us informed.”

– Lance Coker, Mangawhai Beach School, 2020. 

“Thanks for a wonderful show, I received lots of positive comments about it. Your resources for teachers were excellent too..”

– Karen Davies, The Gardens School, Manurewa, Auckland, 2020.