TreeKin

Have you ever heard a tree whisper?

Have you seen a seed wriggle, or witnessed the grass rustle?

‘TreeKin’ is a new outdoor family show by Trigger, commissioned by Norfolk & Norwich Festival, that explores eco-anxiety in young children through a gentle and imaginative engagement with the natural world.

As part of the show’s development, members of the creative team spent a week working with Year 1 pupils at Mile Cross Primary School, delivering a series of puppetry workshops. During these sessions, the children learned simple puppet-making techniques, transforming natural materials such as pine cones and conkers into unique characters. They also explored characterisation and performance skills, discovering how to bring their creations to life, and collaborated to build their own TreeKin houses and a village in the school playground.

This residency played an important role in shaping both the puppetry design and creative content of the final production. We were pleased to welcome the participating children to a special performance of ‘TreeKin’, giving them the opportunity to see how their ideas and experiences had helped inform the show.

We also presented a series of first look performances for children and their families as part of Norfolk & Norwich Festival 2026, inviting audiences to experience the production during its final stages of development.

‘I felt like I was a TreeKin.’
Participant, Mile Cross Primary School

‘I felt like I was part of the team making the puppets.’
Participant, Mile Cross Primary School

‘Thank you so much. Our Year One children had a super time and were excited and engaged by the puppetry workshops. Having experiences like this really broadens our children’s horizons and stimulates creativity. We would love to be involved in further projects with Norfolk & Norwich Festival’
Assistant Headteacher, Mile Cross Primary School

‘I LOVED the music and the message: connecting with nature and curiosity towards more than just humankind, magic and re-enchantment. I felt hopeful and inspired. Brilliant!’
Audience member, NNF26

Location

Norwich

Participants

60 Year 1 pupils from Mile Cross Primary School

Partner

Trigger