Engineering lecturer and PhD student Jenny Roberts is to give a virtual performance in an engineering themed theatre production, “So Unfair!”, aimed at educating young children about the discipline whilst promoting diversity in the field.

Using engineering skills to help someone escape from a life is the culmination of “So Unfair! which is an interactive theatre performance aimed at children aged 7-11, developed by award winning theatre company One Tenth Human with funding contributed by Lancaster University. It is performed by one live in-person performer (Daniel Bye), one performer via video (Toni-Dee Paul) plus video call contributions from a diverse range of scientists and engineers - including Jenny Roberts, who is based in the School of Engineering at Lancaster as a lecturer in Mechanical Engineering.

Jenny and her fellow scientists were approached by Daniel Bye – a former lecturer from the English Literature and Creative Writing Department who also wrote and produced the show –in January 2024 to seek funding from an interdisciplinary funding call at Lancaster to develop the show. The team were subsequently awarded funding from Lancaster’s Arts and Humanities and Engineering and Physical Sciences Impact Acceleration Account (IAA),and since then they have been working steadily to produce a full staged version, which will be performed at The Dukes theatre on 15^th February, alongside various performances at primary schools, libraries, and theatres across the country.

To develop the show, Jenny - alongside Dr Irene Wise (Lancaster University, Partnership Development Officer), Sarah Punshon (Artistic Director, One Tenth Human), Daniel Bye and Toni-Dee Paul - hosted a number of engineering workshops at primary schools, sharing with the students the first drafts of the performance. The performances were very well received by pupils and teachers alike and spurred the team on to create the finalised piece.

The engineers featured in the show have contributed pre-recorded segments in which they appear to “Zoom” into the show to assist the live leads. The pre-recorded interactions are central to the creative design of the show, culminating in a sequence where the audience use their newly learned structural engineering skills to help Toni escape from a lift, by building a structure that is strong enough for Daniel to stand on. This innovative model means children can interact apparently live with diverse engineers who are very relatable, even having fun with Zoom filters on the call. The format allows Jenny and her peers to engage with thousands of children about their work. on

On her contribution to “So Unfair!”, Jenny commented: “I am hopeful that this model of using pre-recorded material as 'live interactions' provides another option for outreach, maximising impact with minimal time commitment, to showcase a broader range of role-models and particularly those who represent minority groups. It will be fascinating to hear how audiences react.”

Jamie Hodge, IAA Partnership Development Manager added: ““So Unfair!” is a fantastic example of Lancaster’s two Impact Acceleration Accounts (comprising Engineering and Physical Sciences and Arts and Humanities) stimulating collaboration across the disciplines – in this case by co-funding development of a unique theatre production that engages young people in the sciences and seeks to raise aspirations.”