On yer bike

The National Theatre of Scotland’s (NTS) first foray into carbon-lite theatre will see an entire cast and crew cycle a 300-mile tour, carrying all costumes, set, props and personal belongings. The Last Polar Bears is a live-art project based on an environmental adventure story by Harry Horse. The three-week tour will visit primary schools in southern Scotland, performing under natural light and using live music. The bicycles have been made from reclaimed materials by Glasgow’s Bike Station, with sponsorship from carbon neutral food company Mackie’s of Aberdeenshire. While vinyl bike bags are recycled NTS banners, made by local company Trakke. The performers are learning about bike maintenance and road safety, and undergoing fitness training in preparation. The journey will be documented on camera by On-the-Road-Producer and Bike Captain Colin Clark, and viewers will be able to monitor the group’s progress on the NTS website. Following each performance, workshops will explore issues of climate change. NTS is also adopting 17 Svalbard Polar Bears to give to the primary schools.