A person dressed as a bee sips through a straw from brightly coloured flowers. The flowers are also people in costume.
Event

Six Long Legs

Wed 15 – Fri 17 Oct, see times below

National Museum of Scotland

Performance free, workshop £2

About Six Long Legs

Join us for three days of insect-themed family fun inspired by the National Museums Scotland’s entomology collection. 

Enjoy a colourful show featuring dressing up, puppetry and mischievous anarchy. Then get creative and build your own bug in a playful and collaborative workshop. 

Six Long Legs performance  

Time: 10:30 – 11:30 and 14:00 – 15:00
Location: Auditorium, Level 1
Price: Free
Accessibility: Performances will be captioned

With joy and clumsy effort, our three human performers will transform before your eyes in this premiere visual theatre piece. Watch them outgrow their skins, attempt to fly, jump their highest jumps and reshape their bodies to do what insects do.  

Intriguing and playfully chaotic, this show is about insect behaviour told through vivid and anarchic skits. 

Devised and created by Hopeful Monster Theatre  
Performed by Bori Mezo, Ella Mackay and Stacey Mitchell
Original music by Peter Buffery

Build a Bug workshop  

Time: 11:45 – 12:30 and 15:15 – 16:00
Location: Event Space, Level 2
Price: £2.00, booking required
Accessibility: Workshops will be BSL interpreted

Take part in a playful and collaborative workshop exploring how insects’ body parts are adapted to their environments. 

Scientists estimate there are 4-5 million insect species yet to be discovered in nature. Become mini entomologists and dress up in costumes made from second-hand objects to create and describe insects entirely new to science. 

Book workshops

Hopeful Monster

Hopeful Monster is an ensemble of three women working collaboratively to create playful visual theatre inspired by the natural world and informed by science. In evolutionary theory, a ‘hopeful monster’ is what you get when a sudden genetic mutation produces a radically new organism.

Like its namesake, the company aims to create work that is weird and wonderful, playing with the possibilities of puppetry and delighting in the unusual visual creations that emerge. Their eponymous first show has toured internationally.

Founded by Bori Mezo, Ella Mackay and Eti Meacock in 2018, the company is based across the UK, - in London, Glasgow and North Devon.

Accessibility and facilities

We want everyone who comes to our museums to enjoy their time with us and make the most of their visit.  

Visit our accessibility page for general access information for the National Museum of Scotland. 

Supported by

Developed with funding from Creative Scotland and Arts Council England.

Supported by Beaford Arts and The Landmark Theatre, Ilfracombe.

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