The Canterbury(ish) Tales

A group of modern-day young performers in Canterbury are performing their end-of-term show when a strange sound from the sky turns everything upside down. Clocks appear where phones once were. Torn maps whisper riddles. And suddenly, the cast is flung into a surreal world where time warps, everything rhymes, and they each begin to transform—physically and emotionally.

They follow the clues to journey toward South London (a reversal of Chaucer’s original pilgrimage). As they travel the students begin to transform into quirky modern-day versions of Chaucer's characters: eco-warrior Pardoners, storytelling Wives of Bath, tech-addicted Cows, and flamboyant farm animals, including Chanticleer the rooster.

As they stumble through forests, fields, and their own fears, the students are challenged to work together, face who they are without screens, and rediscover the real magic of human connection. Ultimately they reunite, solve the riddle, and reveal whether the entire journey was imagined—a playful, allegorical lesson in mindfulness, presence, and the transcendent magic of theatre.