Book & Lyrics by Scott Gilmour
Music by Claire McKenzie
The story begins with Anna engulfed the in the memory of her 13th birthday party. The party is swirling around her, but when she opens her eyes, everything is gone, including her parents. Anna looks up to notice someone beneath the tree in her garden. She hurries outside only to find her parents shoes at the bottom of the tree. They are guarded by a Clown; the same Clown she remembered from her party. He explains to Anna her parents are no longer here and only she can find them. First, however, she must choose which way they went; up the tree into the clouds or down the great burrow into the ground.
Which path will the story take? It depends on the choices your students make...
From here, the audience takes control of the story and Anna’s journey begins. In total there are 128 possible versions of the show. Anna might travel to Underfoot and be forced to tell the truth, or concoct a lie to escape the fearsome Lord Screwtape. She can battle the Matchmaker, who fits young girls to their perfect “match” then stitches them together forever. She can fall into The Forgotten Sea where she can become a pirate or become a prisoner. All of these choices take place inside Anna’s head and are conducted by the Clown. Some are decided by games of chance, some are individual choices and some the audience must decide as a whole. Crucially, however, they are all laced into the narrative to allow Anna’s story to flow continuously and coherently no matter what decision is made. Eventually Anna reaches her final location – The Clown’s Lair. Here the fate of Anna and her parents is decided, allowing the story to end.