A TRAVELLING secret circus which popped up in Brunel Shopping Centre left youngsters amazed.

Thirty students from the Royal Central College of Speech and Drama transformed an empty shopping unit for the week and shared stories of mimes, stilt walkers, clowns and fire breathers.

But the producers kept the fully immersive and interactive show a secret, with teachers even thinking they were just going on a tour of the shopping centre.

Tim Smith, Year 4 teacher at Abbey Meads Community Primary, said: “The children were absolutely transfixed for the whole thing. Absolutely transfixed. I didn’t actually see much of the show myself because I was watching the children and the looks on their faces... their eyes didn’t leave any of the actors.

“One of the girls in my class said there was so much going on she just didn’t know where to look. It was stunning.

“Even as teachers we didn’t know what we were going into. We’d spent some time that morning trying to guess what it could be but we weren’t even close.

“Because it was much more like a musical than a piece of drama, it really did engage the children. Even the children who find that sort of thing challenging. They were more than happy and couldn’t stop talking about it after we left.

“The director said it’s difficult for the children to lose concentration when the actors are 50 centimetres away from them.

“Also all the actors and actresses went out of their way to reach out and interact with the children. It was just superb, really enjoyed it, I hope they do it again next year.”

Ben Buratta, who grew up in Swindon and is director of the show, said: “It’s really nice to see a school just captivated for an hour and invested in the story telling.

“We like the idea of them not having to go into a traditional theatre and sit down and maybe be a bit bored so we approached the shopping centre and we told the schools they were coming for a tour.“We were talking about the difference of identity and the idea that it’s important to share your own story. We were also thinking about home and belonging, the circus becomes a metaphor for that because the people who join travel around because they don’t belong in one place.”