The Abbey Theatre’s new adventure trail is out now – and is guaranteed to bring a spark of festive spirit to all who take part.
The trail, free to download from the Abbey Theatre website, takes approximately 90 minutes to complete.
It begins and ends at Books on the Hill in Holywell Hill, St Albans, where a small number of trail booklets are also available.
Called The Finding of Arrietty Clock, the trail is inspired by the theatre’s Christmas production of The Borrowers.
In the trail, tiny borrower Arrietty has been squashed under a book.
By tracking down clues hidden around the city centre, participants can work out which book she's under, saving Arrietty, and allowing the Christmas production to go ahead.
Anyone who completes the trail and solves the mystery can enter a draw for a £20 voucher to be spent on food and drink on a trip to the theatre.
At Easter, the Abbey Theatre launched a trail called The Strange Case of Harry Holywell that took the town by storm.
Based on download figures, the theatre believes that over 3,000 local people took part in this murder mystery.
Eulogies from the public included "so much fun", "great stuff" and "highly recommended".
The trail was compiled by a family closely associated with the theatre – actors and backstage volunteers Andrew and Beccy Baird, and their daughter Kitty.
Andrew said: "After the success of the last trail, we’re delighted to share a brand new one with local families.
"As we know, it’s important that families have something active to do over Christmas, not just sitting on the sofa watching TV and scoffing chocolates – nice though that is some of the time.
"The trail’s also a great way for people to find out about the Abbey Theatre Christmas show.
"Pantos are brilliant, but lots of families enjoy seeing feel-good plays too. And The Borrowers is one of the most-loved stories of all time."
The Abbey Theatre has worked hard to ensure that it is a Covid-safe environment and has been awarded a ‘See it Safely’ mark in recognition of its efforts.
The trail can be found at www.abbeytheatre.org.uk.
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