The Shivers by emma + pj

The Shivers comes to South Street Arts Centre on Saturday 31 October, a fast-moving 'live cartoon' theatre show co-directed and written by Emma Clark and PJ Stanley. It's a one-off afternoon performance, running for 55 minutes without an interval.

The story follows a fox, a pigeon and a secret agent on a mission to save the world from the villainous Miss Information, whose agents have turned all the colours wrong and the sounds upside down. A three-strong cast — Isis Clunie, Ben Kulvichit and Kenndrick Horton — performs on a green-screen set that projects live images, so the cartooning happens right there in front of you rather than being played back from a screen. For adults it plays like a farce, and it sits in a world familiar to young audiences, like Into the Spider-Verse, graphic novels and video games.

There's a bit of a backstory to how it came together. It was commissioned by New Diorama Theatre and funded by Arts Council England, and it grew out of drama workshops with Key Stage Two pupils, drawing on their ideas about misinformation, self-trust and critical thinking. It's toured to nearly 30 schools in London and also played in Wimbledon and Bath, so it's well-travelled by the time it reaches Reading.

It's recommended for ages 7-11 and their grown-ups, with all children accompanied by an adult. Tickets are £14, or £12 for members, and it starts at 2pm on Saturday 31 October at South Street Arts Centre, 21 South Street, RG1 4QU.