What has been the best arts company to visit your school in the past year? Live Wire Science Theatre put on a performance for three primary schools in our area

How did you hear about them? Some of my headteacher colleagues recommended them

What did they do? Performed a play, Who Says I’m a Windbag?, about the harmful effects of smoking. The play featured a dialogue between Len and Larry Lung - actors dressed up as a young, healthy lung and an older, unhealthy one. Larry told his son Len about the bad effects smoking had had on him and they discussed the influences of peer pressure and advertising. There was a lot of audience interaction, for instance the children had to pretend to be the fronds inside the lung and wave their arms around.

Did you do any preparation beforehand? We had done a project on healthy living and this complemented it beautifully.

Any follow-up work? The children discussed the play afterwards in the classroom

How long did they stay? Around 40 minutes

How much did they cost? The performance was free to us

Who paid? The sponsors of Live Wire Science Theatre

What was so good about them? The costumes were very cleverly made - when the “Lungs” opened their arms you could see what the inside of a lung looks like. The serious message about smoking was put across in a humorous, upbeat way, so that it appealed to the children (Primaries 6 and 7), and the audience interaction was excellent. The feedback from the children showed that the play had made a real impression on them.

Who Says I’m a Windbag? can be adapted for all ages of children and adults. Live Wire Science Theatre is based in Stonehaven, Aberdeenshire, tel: 01569 730002