Literacy Musical: Shine a Light

Shine a Light literacy musical

This show has ended. Please click here to see our current literacy focused work.

Shine a Light is a tale about friendship and overcoming fear of the unknown 

A magical story 

For Rose, no two days are the same. Through her magical mirror she can jump to any place she can imagine and become anyone she wants to be. The possibilities are endless.

But the mysterious mirror game gains more and more power over Rose. Instead of feeling intrigued and excited to meet the characters within it, she becomes fearful. It makes her doubt herself and she starts to disconnect from people in real life.

Then along comes Richard and he has a magic lamp! What do they make of each other’s unusual and magical life and what can they learn from each other on their shared adventure? 

Brilliant books

A sample of the best children’s literature is at the heart of Rose and Richard's adventure. These are the books that our musical is built around:

  • Alice Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll
  • Black Dog by Levi Pinfold
  • Fantastic Mr Fox by Roald Dahl
  • The Red Tree by Shaun Tan

Especially for primary school children

Our literacy musicals are created to inspire young imaginations and showcase the magic of children’s books in a way that teachers and children love. 

Shine a Light is fast paced and fun. You can expect a high level of audience participation, an engaging plot and endearing characters.

It highlights how unfounded some fears can be and encourages children to talk to other people about their concerns. It also gently touches on the themes of insecurity and bullying.

We ensure that there’s plenty to talk about and learn from back in the classroom.

Activity pack and songs the children can learn

Shine a Light is a great catalyst for engaging children with books that they can enjoy both before and after the show. 

Our free activity pack and West End quality sing-a-long audio files help you to incorporate the stories into your lessons in a really interactive way.

Listen to some of the music from one of our similar shows below: 

The West End in your school

Our performers are all West End professionals from shows like Matilda and Chicago

Age range: Reception to Year 6

Group size: Up to 250 children per show. Larger schools have multiple performances

Cost: Varies by school size

Requirements: Just an empty school hall - we bring everything needed.

Set-up time: 20 minutes

Length: 50 minutes + 5 minute after show Q&A discussion

Accompanying material: Free activity pack & downloadable soundtrack provided in advance

Available dates: From February 2016

Always excellent, always organised, always impressive, always professional, always enjoyed!
— KS2 Literacy Subject Leader, Grange Farm Primary School, Dec 2013
The shows have consistently been of a very high standard and we have never been disappointed!
— Assistant Headteacher, Birch Hill Primary, Mar 2014