Instrumental!
Slow down, tune in, and listen to the ancient voices of trees
Overview
Instrumental is a brand-new outdoor touring show for children and families by Trigger. It aims to ease eco-anxiety in young people by nurturing wonder, empathy, and connection with the natural world.
Our goal is to get children curious and confident in their local green spaces; to notice, listen, and feel part of the interconnectedness of nature. Designed to work in a field, garden, playground, or woodland, the show transforms any patch of green into a living story, full of light, song, and imagination.
Research from Greenpeace (2023) found that 78% of primary-aged children are worried about climate change, while the Woodland Trust reports that one in three children feel scared, sad, or pessimistic about the planet’s future. Instrumental! offers young audiences a space for calm, joy, and reflection to combat this, offering connections rather than solutions, to build impetus to care for their planet.
R&D
In November 2025, Trigger embarked on two weeks of creative R&D to develop their new touring show, Instrumental! Working with actor-musician Arran Glass, puppetry devisor Josh Elwell, and Rose Bruford trainee Jelaine Ng Sha-Men, we explored nature connection, narrative, and the act of listening to the trees around us.
On the first day, Dr Verity Jones, Associate Professor in Education at the University of the West of England, joined us to ground the process in the reality of climate anxiety among young audiences.
We then shaped a workshop for children aged 6–7, focusing on themes of connection, care, and compost.
The R&D culminated in five workshops in schools in North Somerset, where we shared a bonkers outdoors musical crafting session and listened to the children’s thoughts and feelings about nature.
R&D Team
Josh Elwell, Puppetry Devisor
Josh Elwell is a puppeteer and puppet maker from Bristol with over 3 decades of experience working in theatre, TV and film. In theatre he has run his own puppet company and worked with Little Angel, Norwich Puppet Theatre and the National Theatre of Scotland. He also appeared as a lead role in Great Expectations in London’s West End. In more recent years his work has been as a screen puppeteer on various children’s TV shows as well as on productions like, ‘Dr Who’, ‘Dark Crystal - Age of Resistance’ and in the cult TV show ‘Don’t Hug Me I’m Scared’.
Arran Glass, Music Devisor
Arran Glass is a Bristol-based composer, lyricist, multi-instrumentalist and actor whose work blends organic, folk-rooted storytelling with contemporary cinematic sound. He has written for stage productions, short films and cross-disciplinary projects, developing a distinctive style shaped by his background as an Actor-Musician, bandleader, puppeteer and composer for puppetry on film and on stage. Credits include All Hands! The Story of the Nornen, I Was a German, Fly High (Singapore Repertory Theatre), Knight Time (Scratchbuilt Productions), The Journey Home, Sleeping Beauty in the Wood, Me… (Little Angel Theatre), Bracknell Giants, Minim and Me, and the BBC’s Countryfile. Arran writes and performs with several bands.
Jelaine Ng Sha-Men, Theatre Trainee
Jelaine Ng Sha-Men (吴淑敏) is a Singaporean theatre-maker and educator whose work explores the intersections of care, play, and accessibility in performance for young audiences. Supported by the Singapore National Arts Council through a postgraduate scholarship, she is pursuing an MFA in Theatre for Children and Young People at Rose Bruford College, London. Jelaine creates immersive and inclusive experiences that invite children to imagine, question, and connect. As a Wolf Trap teaching artist, she works closely with parents, teachers, and caregivers, believing in the transformative impact of education and how children make sense of themselves and the world
Creative Team
Angie Bual
Creative Director(The Hatchling/PoliNations/TEABREAK)
Supported By
Keep exploring
Relax with a free cup of chai and a mindful moment at our hand painted tuk tuk
TEABREAK