Grandad Anansi (2022)

Grandad Anansi

by

Elayne Ogbeta

Half Moon Theatre

2022

Grandad Anansi is a play for 4-9 year olds exploring intergenerational relationships, migration and grief. Grandad wants to return to Jamaica and doesn’t know how to tell his granddaughter Abi. Writer Elayne Ogbeta drew on the storytelling tradition in her own family to create the character of Grandad:

“I grew up listening to lots of wonderful stories about the roguish spider Anansi told by my dad. He is still a great storyteller to this day and has continued to delight all nine of his grandchildren with gripping versions of the classic Jamaican tales. Grandad Anansi takes these oral stories, which have been passed down through generations, and places them on the stage, in front of new audiences. The stories are framed within a wider, universal narrative about intergenerational love, growing up, growing older and the meaning of home.”

Developed by Half Moon Theatre and Z-arts in partnership with schools in Hulme and the African Caribbean Care Centre, the play celebrates the oral storytelling traditions of Jamaica inspired by the stories of Anansi the Spider from Jamaican folklore using poetry, movement and music to bring Anansi to life. The play’s development followed Half Moon’s method for creating work for young people by testing the play at every stage with the target age group.