Paper and Tin is ETO’s new opera for children in Key Stage Two (aged 7-11), reimagining Hans Christian Andersen’s The Steadfast Tin Soldier. Written in consultation with teachers, the piece will mainly explore the important National Curriculum topics of English and Personal, Social Health and Economic education (PSHE) with particular focus on grammar, storytelling, gender stereotypes, and LGBTQ+ relationships. It is written and directed by Laura Attridge (Cosi fan tutte, 2020), and composed by Lewis Murphy with designs by Anna Orton.

Join the tin soldier and paper ballerina as their adventures lead them around the toy box and playroom, meeting all sorts of different toys who offer insights into different kinds of love, relationships, and self-identity. Pierrot will even lead the school through a Mindfulness exercise! Along the way, the tin soldier and toy ballerina learn lots of lessons about themselves and the world around them: lessons about acceptance, confidence, and generosity. By the time their adventures come to an end, they have both come to the same conclusion: just because they were put in a box together doesn't mean they have to stay in it!