ELIZABETH Muncey's fantastical family show Superhero Snail Boy looks at loss through the eyes of a child's eye.

Mounted by Scribbled Thought and Vertical Line Theatre in association with Greenwich Theatre, Anne Stoffels' touring production will visit Pocklington Arts Centre at 2.30pm on May 28 and Helmsley Arts Centre at 11am and 2pm on May 29.

Superhero Snail Boy shows that even the smallest of superheroes can grow to be bigger than their fears in a place where hope grows in the form of enormous flowers and breakthroughs are found in the smashing of plates.

Parents are parented by the wisdom of the young and solace is sought from a giant snail in a show where children aged nine and over and those young at heart are invited to discover that a journey through the dark is not as scary as you think.

Inspired by children’s literature such as Wolf Eribruch's Duck, Death And Tulip and Virginia Ironside's The Huge Bag Of Worries, Superhero Snail Boy seeks to prove that sadness, despair and anxiety are feelings not always reserved for adults.

Muncey's play follows the journey of two 11 year olds,Tillie and Inari, as they learn "it is OK to be sad when bad things happen".

The writer introduces audience and protagonists alike to colourful characters and imaginative methods for Tillie and Inari to deal with their worries, be it planting flowers, smashing plates or confiding in a giant snail to help carry them through the night.

Muncey is not only the playwright but also playsTilly, Mrs Dale and Liesel, joined by Henry Regan as Inari, Adam Loxley as Snail, Lukas and Vincent and Kieran Mortell as Picture and James.

Flemish theatre maker Anne Stoffels and designer Georgia Twigg create the story's fantastical world through projection, puppetry and physicality in a 60-minute show that played the Edinburgh Fringe last summer to five-star reviews.

The 2014 tour will run until July with Elizabeth Muncey's words of encouragement .

"We can help to teach both young and old not to fear their feelings, even the dark ones. They are part of our wonderful, challenging human realm," she says. "We can learn from them, grow bigger than them, and ultimately even be grateful for them. We are all superheroes, if we just take the time to notice.”

Box office: Barton, 01652 660380 or the-ropewalk.co.uk; Pocklington, 01759 301547 or pocklingtonartscentre.co.uk; Helmsley, 01439 771700 or helmsleyarts.co.uk