Q&A: With Theatres Coordinator Adam Bennett

We get behind the scenes of what it takes to create a science show with a Q&A with Scitech’s Theatres Coordinator Adam Bennett. He gives us a sneak peek of the new show Knowledge by Nature, debuting in the Chevron Science Theatre from the July school holidays.

How did you come up with the idea for the new science show Knowledge by Nature?
When we create a new show at Scitech, we want to make it as universal, accessible and entertaining as possible for our audience. Luckily, we already had lots of ideas for new shows, so we were able to narrow it down to a final five and developed pitches for each one which we presented to a panel of people. We also worked closely with the Customer Insights team who helped us create a framework for testing and had audience preview sessions to see which shows people really connected with. After reviewing the feedback, Knowledge by Nature was chosen as the new show.

Once you have the idea, what is the process of developing the show?
We make sure to get ideas and feedback from lots of different people throughout the organisation, from the Science Communicators who need to present the show, to the Design team who build the props, to the Marketing team who need to tell people when it’s happening. While the show will be premiering in the Chevron Science Theatre, we also want to make our science shows adaptable to be taken out on the road by our Statewide team and performed at schools and events in regional Western Australia. This adds extra consideration to the show’s design such as how portable the props and equipment are and can it be performed in different weather conditions like bright sunlight or wind.

What can people expect to see in Knowledge by Nature?
The show is all about how important nature is to us humans, how we’ve worked with and changed nature, but also how we are a part of it. For example, did you know less than half of our body’s total cell count are human cells? The rest of our cells are microbes, so when we eat we’re feeding not just ourselves but a whole ecosystem of creatures. The show also looks at biomimicry, where humans have observed the way plants and animals have evolved and worked out how to copy them. Most importantly, nature provides us with food, water, oxygen to breath and much more, so the show explains how it’s our responsibility to take care of nature so nature can continue to take care of us. Like in all of Scitech’s shows, we will be exploring the science through exciting demonstrations and experiments and have lots of fun in the process!