INSPIRING children across the country to turn household objects into all sorts of animals, Red Table Theatre is touring with a show about Rudyard Kipling's The Just So Stories.

From the cast of four, actor Charlotte Worthing talks about turning umbrellas into crabs and how her mum is her biggest fan, before she comes to the Wycombe Swan next week.

Four of Rudyard Kipling's The Just So Stories are brought to life in this fun and interactive show including The Crab That Played With The Sea and How The Whale Got His Throat.

Nicky Diss, Emma Manley, Jo Wickham and Charlotte Worthing use every day household objects to bring the stories on to stage, so children can head home and try it themselves. Four umbrellas become a crab, a bed sheet becomes a big whale's mouth and a pillow becomes the camel's hump.

The stories, loved by young and old alike, are what are known as origin stories- fantastic accounts of how various phenomena came about.

Charlotte, 28, first did the show at Edinburgh Fringe Festival last year.

She said: "I auditioned last year a few weeks before Edinburgh.

"I was pretty busy at the time doing another play and I got there at the last minute.

"I ran to the audition and I was late as well. When I left I thought, 'I don't think that went very well at all.'"

But happily she got the part and she is delighted to be returning to tour with the show.

She said: "It is lots of fun. At points there are lots of interaction with the audience as well. You do find yourself grinning."

It is just under an hour long, to keep kids entertained, and is aimed at ages four plus, although adults would enjoy the show too.

Charlotte, who lives in Tooting, said: "We say adults will enjoy it- all ages are welcome.

"They are definitely fun stories. Dads normally tend to love the whole story about the big blue manly whale. Mums tend to love the elephant's child."

The story is set in an attic, which is where the props come in to make the stories come to life.

She said: "The idea being we wanted the kids to think, 'I could make that at home.'

"It is just kind of more inventive."

Charlotte studied acting at Oxford School of Drama and graduated in 2009.

She came runners up for a Carleton Hobbs Bursary Award from the BBC and was cast in a radio drama called Chain Gang.

Charlotte said: "The prize was a part in a BBC radio drama. That was a really lovely thing to leave with- knowing I had a job."

Since then she has performed in lots of stage and radio shows, and also records audio books for the RNIB.

Her theatre credits include These Trees are Made of Blood (BAC), The Miniaturists, Word:Play4 and The Occupied Times (The Arcola) and Power, Glory (The BikeShed Theatre).

Charlotte is kept very busy at the moment, and she said the life of an actor is very exciting as you never know what the next job can be, but it can also be a bit nerve-racking.

She said: "It is kind of Sod's law that everything comes at once.

"I find it very difficult to say no as you never know when the next thing is coming along."

Charlotte grew up in a small village in Herefordshire with her mum, dad, brother and sister. But the distance doesn't stop her mum coming along to her shows.

She said: "My mum is my biggest fan. She has already been to see this show twice this time around. She is also planning to come along again. She just really enjoys it."

The Just So Stories is at the Wycombe Swan on April 14 at 2pm and 4.30pm. Tickets are £9, with a £1.50 booking fee. To book call 01494 512000 or go to www.wycombeswan.co.uk.