An Ant Called Amy

The Ark, Temple Bar

★★★★★

Tucked away inside the Ark, in Temple Bar, this Dublin Theatre Festival is a hub of activity: Amy’s anthill.

After being beckoned to your seat by ambient birdsong, and mesmerised by a central circle of “trees“ soaring upwards, you can’t help but become fully immersed in the world of An Ant Called Amy’s titular critter.

Although curated for youngsters from around five to eight years old, this magical piece of children’s theatre promises to uplift viewers of all ages with its beautiful staging and thoughtful exploration of sibling loss.

Make no mistake, the message of this play is light and filled with hope as its protagonist learns the importance of slowing down and appreciating the everyday.

The children are audibly captivated by Amy’s story, created and performed by Julie Sharkey – with peals of laughter, comments about the set and plenty of questions scattered throughout this endearing 40-minute performance. “My mom’s called Amy,” one child pipes up during Sharkey’s introduction to the show.

Amy works tirelessly to distract herself, gathering supplies for the anthill and doing her very best to always keep her “head down. Move along. Find a juicy leaf and bring it home.”

Amy’s self-discipline and efforts don’t go unnoticed: she is named employee of the month. The audience of giddy schoolchildren and their teachers get the chance to ask Amy some questions about her success. One reporter from the Ant Gazette asks if Amy thinks her brother Andy would be proud of her. That’s enough questions for one day.

An encounter in the woods one night with the ultimately not-so-scary Brown Spider helps Amy realise that there may be some truth in Andy’s motto: “Every leaf has a story if you take the time to look.”

Beautiful and thought-provoking.

Continues at the Ark, as part of Dublin Theatre Festival, until Sunday, September 29th