Trinket the Robot

 …But is he ready for what it means to be alive?

Welcome to the Inventor’s Convention! Why do we need inventions? Inventions are there to solve problems, and Dr Doovalcky has plenty of those. His laboratory assistant, a green caterpillar named Gizmo, is always causing trouble. The duo present some of their less successful inventions, but what is Dr Doovalacky’s real pickle? Above all, what he needs, is a friend.   Together, he and Gizmo have set out to build a robot to be his friend. But this will be no ordinary Robot. They have created a special component that will give Trinket the ability to have feelings like a “real” human. Each colour of the special component will trigger a different emotion. 

But it could be dangerous. It’s never been done before. It could cause Trinket’s circuits to overload. The experiment works, and so the audience needs to help Trinket learn about the world of feelings. They help him to overcome his shyness, but quickly it becomes complicated. Dr Doovalacky finds himself losing control of his own creation. Trinket finds out that to become human is to not only feel wonder and joy, but also to feel other emotions like anger, fear and the sadness of saying goodbye to someone when you are not ready to. Having feelings is not easy and to be alive means making difficult choices.

Trinket the Robot is a lively, funny, interactive solo puppet show, based on the tale of Pinocchio. It explores emotions and offers ways for children to understand different feelings. The show is a provocation for a discussion about emotional literacy, and provides a framework for younger children to identify their feelings in relation to different colours. For older students, it investigates themes of loss, and resilience in the face of adversity. It sits well within the Personal/Social and Ethical Capabilities and Wellbeing areas of the Curriculum, and helps to surface questions about things that are important to young people.

Written by Jenny Ellis & Anne Brooksbank
Directed by Jacob Williams & Clare Batholomew
Music by Thomas “Soup” Campbell,
Puppets and set by Jenny Ellis, Jeremy Lavender, Lauren Redpath and Dayna Morrissey.