Making The Most Of Time

"In the last couple of years we have re-watched films we hadn’t seen since we were kids and have been amazed that even as an ‘adult’ these stories still resonate,” says Jordan, a member of the comedy group Not Suitable For Drinking, which includes fellow performer Emily Tresidder and director Julia Patey.

The Hand Of Time follows protagonist Ella’s adventures in the bizarre world of Lanalites, set on a faraway planet. Each Lanalite embodies their profession: “The builders use their hands and feet to hammer, saw and construct. The garbage bins with their mouths and stomachs eat the world’s rubbish,” explains Jordan. Ella possesses a rare gift: she can freeze time, a dangerous ability in her world that goes back to the Lanalites’ dark past, which is why she is forced to obscure her true nature. This propels the main question of the show: “What’s the point of having an amazing gift if you’re not allowed to use it?”

After seeing The Adventures Of Alvin Sputnik at Edinburgh Fringe last year, Jordan was inspired to create a family show everyone could enjoy. “In a room filled with mostly adults, we were transported into this magical world which was so beautifully crafted and performed.”  

When asked what the biggest challenge was, Jordan replied, “The fact that the world is so epic has meant that the logistics of creating that on stage with only performers has been difficult.” However, the resourceful Patey found a way around this through the incorporation of shadow puppets, which Jordan says “has really helped capture and expand the wonder and magic of our world”.

The crew’s ability to construct an entire realm will draw you in and keep you captivated until the final second. Jordan and his team believe that “There’s something really special about transporting audiences to another time, and place. We aspire to have all audience members big and small basking in our imagined world.”