WHAT IS RATLAB?
RATLab is a touring theatre show aimed at 7 – 11 year old school children in Key Stage 2. The performance is designed to engage their young minds in a highly visual and theatrical experience, and to frame STEM subjects (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Maths) as exciting, creative and diverse.
RATLab was conceived with a focus on visits to primary schools in areas of socio-economic deprivation in the South West, with the aim to ensure that performances were free to schools at the point of delivery.
WHAT IS THE EXPERIENCE?
During a visit to RATLab, children will interact with a team of engaging characters – mostly rats, dogs and pigs – who use engineering to solve everyday problems. The 25-min show uses lo-fi puppetry and hi-tech projections to celebrate University of Bath’s cutting-edge research into bone repair and sports injuries. A child’s overall experience will underscore the everyday nature of engineering, and the role of teamwork in creative problem solving. Schools will appreciate the supplementary resources, including a comprehensive Teachers Pack with digital and online videos, practical exercises and discussion prompts.
WHAT IS RATLAB’s THEATRE?
RATLab is performed in an all-weather pop-up structure made of inflatable domes with interconnecting tunnels supplied by Inflatable Structures Limited. The lab can be easily installed on any flat surface, indoors or out, and can accommodate a class of children and their teachers.
This bespoke structure consisting of linked inflatable event tents was designed as a Covid-safe delivery model for the performances and as a learning environment away from the classroom and is the perfect space to give the pupils a unique and memorable experience. It consists of Axion Square event tents fully branded to RATLab’s specification and linked by interconnecting tunnels. The whole structure can be erected in minutes and with just 2 people. It uses the electric pumps supplied to inflate the tents, after which the side and back walls are zipped in.
