⭐️⭐️⭐️“Brave Bettie soars when extolling the wonders of the woodland where the escapade unfolds…. It’s theatre to widen your horizons, best followed up with a wander in your nearest green space.”
The Guardian

⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Shades of My Neighbour Totoro…. [and] a latter-day Lorax…. [Brave Bettie is] attuned to the smells, tastes and rhythms of nature…. [with ] a keen sense of mythology that is as embedded in the tale as the ancient tree.”
The Guardian

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Step aside, Anansi the Spider – there’s a fabulous new superhero on the block, bringing friendship, fun and exciting eco-adventure!… [Brave Bettie is] a playful, active adventure that embraces the natural world and is full of gentle laughter and brilliant characterisation.”
Everything Theatre

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Matsvai writes beautifully and lyrically to embrace African heritage and give it a magical place in a modern world, connecting distant times and places. Unfamiliar language blends in, encouraging the audience to pay attention – to think differently, which in turn creates a space where it’s possible to reimagine our interaction with the natural world. Cheerful meetings with cute creatures such as a hedgehog and a beaver show the possibilities of listening to nature. But their writing also includes the understated yet powerful truth that non-Western tradition is under-acknowledged when it comes to reconsidering our relationship with the lands and creatures we co-exist with. It’s an excitingly refreshing perspective.”
Everything Theatre

 

⭐️⭐️⭐️ “Brave Bettie is a really refreshing take on the ancient African legend, bringing a new superhero into our modern world and showing how the knowledge of the ancestors can be useful as well as entertaining. As the lights came up, the children next to me were asking when they’d get to see the next episode! I will be there for sure!”
Everything Theatre

 

“A really enjoyable production that celebrates both the connection between cultures and the connection we all have to the earth. Another very promising piece of work for young audiences from an exciting emerging writer.
The Family Stage

 

“The story delivers powerful messages about self-belief and the importance of taking care of our environment. K and I really enjoyed this show and he was transfixed throughout the performance. We were entertained, engaged and thoroughly enjoyed it all!”
@boymumsendhelp via Instagram

 

“I think it was a wonderful example of meaningful stories told engagingly for the very young!”
Audience Member

 

“I loved the detail of the script, the music, the adaptability of the inventive set and the way the actors played and told the story.”
Audience Member

 

“This was finally an inclusive show with great themes (friendship, courage, etc) at an affordable price. I have been looking for this for so long! Thank you.”
Audience Member

 

“The actors were really great. The staging, sound and lighting were really creative. We loved the songs and language. It kept my nearly 4 year old entertained for the full 50 mins.”
Audience Member

Tatenda Naomi Matsvai on Brave Bettie

“I’ve been exploring how I can fictionalise and dramatise the experiences of my own upbringing as a child asylum seeker in South East London, through the mythology of the strong female character of the Zimbabwean spiritual guide Nehanda.

The interaction of sharing songs, poetry, and stories from my homeland serves as a metaphor for social activism and developing resilience. It champions the cultural pride that a young girl feels when visited by an ancestral guide who imparts wisdom.”

My aim with Brave Bettie is to find a simple, dramatic, and age-appropriate way to unpack and illustrate Afrofuturism for audiences aged 3 to 8 within a contemporary context.

Brave Bettie will proudly be the first Half Moon production to follow the Theatre Greenbook, a global initiative by theatre makers to create a more sustainable industry. We will be aiming for the Basic standard of sustainability, and so:

• 50% of everything on stage (costume, props and set) will have been used and repurposed for our production.
• 65% will be stored and used again after the production.

By helping to make theatre more sustainable, we hope to play an important role in fashioning a more sustainable world.

Thank you

Cassiopeia Berkeley-Agyepong for the R&D development phase of the piece; Nomakhwezi Becker, Nkhanise Phiri and Esther Rennae Walker for the R&D script workshop, UK Bamboo for bamboo fencing, the entire team at Half Moon;  and the many young people in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets who have participated in the show’s development.