The three-week long Wandsworth Arts Festival begins this week and one of its more unusual events takes place at Southside Shopping Centre.

Put your feet in the footprints on the floor or your hands in the handprints on the wall and be transported into a world of theft and accusations as you try to solve the mystery of a missing hen, culminating in a makeshift pond complete with lilly pads outside Waitrose.

Market Steps, which is going to the National Theatre in August, is the latest creation of Stan's Cafe theatre company, who specialise in do-it-youself theatre such as this.

"We are reimagining the shopping centre as if it was an old style market with flowers and grass and animals," says artistic director James Yarker.

"When shoppers arrive they will find vinyl footprints in the three malls there beginning at the High Street entrance.

"If you follow the footprints and put your own feet in then you find out about the characters and get instructions on what to act out.

"There's a little boy who is asked to take a hen to market but on the way he has a snooze and his hen is stolen.

"He teams up with other kids to track down the thief but during their search they get accused of being thieves themselves and have to capture the real thief to prove their innocence."

The shopping centre is the busiest place to host one of the Steps shows to date, but Yarker hopes people will still find time to stop.

"In terms of the area this is the biggest we have done," he says.

"Because of that we have had to reign ourselves in a little bit as if we let our imaginations run wild there would be too much to do.

"I am just hoping people will find time off from their shopping to give it a go.

"It is for all ages but ideally for people trying to distract their kids while they are doing other stuff.

"I am always looking for things to entertain my daughter while my wife buys clothes."

Market Steps is one of three events happening at Southside, one of the festival's main sponsors.

They also host puppet show The Kapok Tree (May 1 and 8, 11am, free) and evolving interactive art in Part of It (from May 11).

Market Steps, Southside Shopping Centre, May 4 to 23, free. Visit wandsworth.gov.uk/artsfestival.

  • Other Wandsworth Arts Festival highlights this week:

Look Again

A trial of photographs by Sophie Martin-Castex, Noorie Parvez and Brian Sharland are being hung in unusual locations from Northcote Road to Southside Centre, including shops, libraries and gardens. Can you spot them all? May 1 to 31. Visit uklandscape.net.

Safe

Spare Tyre's latest play, for older people by older people, questions how far we should go to eliminate risk. In a climate that thrives on box-ticking, risk-assessing and safe-guarding, have we stopped listening to those we are trying to protect? Affecting, exasperating and hilarious. TARA Studio, Garratt Lane, May 5 7.30pm, May 6 2pm and 7.30pm, £5. Call 020 8333 4457 or visit tara-arts.com.

Scratch Festival

Battersea Arts Centre's Scratch Festival is back showcasing works in development by dozens of theatre makers looking for your feedback. This week it includes Alice, about the demise of analogue technology, Epic, a playful and experimental journey through 20th century history and Debbie Pearson's Like You Were Before. BAC Scratch Festival, Lavender Hill, May 3 to 22. Call 020 7223 2223 or visit bac.org.uk.

Spring Session

Balham's Bedford presents live music from some of its finest acts. The line-up consists of acoustic folk singer James Lawson, whose new album The Pull of the Moon comes out next month, indie artist Alex Dew and his band and jazz singer Rosabella Gregory and her trio.

The Bedford, Bedford Hill, May 6, 8.30pm, free. Call 020 8682 8940 or visit thebedford.co.uk.