The Ancient Mariner, Puppet Theatre Barge

This month, floating about in Richmond, young adults can find an atmospheric barge on the river Thames hosting the super-cute Puppet Theatre Barge. This September, the theatre is hosting a re-imagining of the famous story of the Ancient Mariner.

Originally written in 1797, it is the story of a sailor returned from a long sea voyage who stops a man on the way to a wedding ceremony to tell his story. Having shot an albatross out at sea, the Mariner sinned against nature and cut himself off from God and his fellow men. Only through his love of sea serpents, the lowest of all creatures, can the Mariner cast off the spell of isolation and heal his relationship with God.

In its original form, it is the longest major poem by the English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge. Forget anything complicated and alienating, and instead go expecting rhyming, puppetry and a classic story about our relationship to nature.

Suitable for ages 14+