he Lynx Educational Trust for Animal Welfare
The Lynx Educational Trust for Animal Welfare commissioned Almost Human. A charity, the Trust has developed and prioritised an educational programme on human and animal rights, conservation and environmental issues, presenting them through specially commissioned theatrical pieces designed to inspire the imagination and directly engage people’s interest and involvement, particularly young people.

2002: Almost Human - a play that follows the story of 'Tarzan', a chimpanzee captured in the wild and then passed from a circus to a zoo to an advertising agency and finally to a laboratory. A riveting and dynamic piece of physical theatre, it combines humour and pathos and embraces all aspects of animal welfare as well as human attitudes towards animals and the preservation of habitat. The play will run at the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 5 – 24 August and will tour UK schools from September – November 2002.

2000: Norah’s Ark, a play originally commissioned by the Natural History Museum in London toured schools in 1992. Aimed at younger children (6 - 10 years), the story follows the struggles of a modern day ‘Noah’ for whom time is running out if she is to save the species that have managed to survive since Noah’s day without any more becoming extinct.

1999: Saving Energy was seen by over 10,000 Year 7 & 8 pupils. Suffolk County Council education department commissioned Lynx to produce a new play about energy and conservation. Saving Energy follows the story of Eddie, a teenager who wastes energy until the spirits of Energy and Conservation take him on a whirlwind trip, first to the past to see what life was like before energy, and then to a bleak future when the human race has wasted all the planets resources. Eddie comes back a changed boy and is able to change the world as a result. Also in 1999 Suffolk County Council and Suffolk Health commissioned Lynx to work with students from 20 Suffolk high schools on the subject of mental health.

1998: Dance To My Tune - set in the future, but written in the style of a Russian folk tale, this is a moving and thought-provoking story of a remarkable journey taken by a young Russian woman and a brown bear - the last in the world. The impoverished woman plans to sell the bear to the highest bidder but her quest for fortune becomes a journey of self-discovery as she is forced to confront her own weaknesses and prejudices. The play raises the issues of extinction and the use of animals in entertainment. The play toured schools and was followed-up by student drama workshops on vulnerability and exploitation.

The founders of Lynx, Lynne Kentish and Mark Glover set up the Lynx Educational Trust for Animal Welfare, a registered charity in 1984. Lynx was the organisation that successfully changed UK public opinion towards fur in the 1980’s through high profile advertising campaigns supported by top photographers and models including David Bailey, Linda McCartney and Yasmin Le Bon. In 1990 the charity decided to concentrate on theatre in education projects. Today Lynne Kentish directs the Lynx Educational Trust for Animal Welfare. Patrons include Sir Peter Hall, Sir Derek Jacobi, Mark Rylance, Harriet Walter and Anton Lesser.