Laika the Spacedog

Laika the Spacedog is a brand new opera from ETO for children aged 6-12 and families, packed with music, drama, design, lots of science, and one of the greatest stories about a real animal ever told.

It is 1957 and the space race is well underway. The satellite called Sputnik 1 has just been launched by the Russians, and the world has heard the hypnotic sound of its beeps. But the Soviet Leader wants an even greater triumph within a month, and threatens his chief scientist Korolev with the consequences of failure. So begins the countdown to the launch of Sputnik 2, with its precious canine cargo. But which dog will be found to sit on top of the rocket, and will the systems be in place to bring the dog back alive?

With exciting music by Russell Hepplewhite, words by Tim Yealland and stunning design by Jude Munden, the opera takes us from the streets of Moscow to the Kremlin, and to the thrilling Baikonur Cosmodrome, home of the Russian space programme. We see the launch of both Sputniks and follow the race to get a dog into space.

Laika the Spacedog Animation (no sound)