the littlest birds (sing the prettiest songs)

A lovely day at the Boo - firstly, Mark and Aya, the performers in the Nightingale, came back to the theatre to re-load the van after teaching workshops in Blackpool. It was so great to see them both after the little break, and made me excited about the show going back on the road. I spent some of the day doing last minute jobs to get ready for them - they needed some 'spare' tiny nightingales. On a long tour like this one, little things can get easily damaged..or stood on backstage in the dark! So I made a couple of little nightingales, a new crown for the king, and Christina gave the Luscinia puppet's flyaway hair a bit of  taming (involving prop varnish!). The first show of the new tour is at 1pm at the Met in Bury, Greater Manchester. After that they're off to Hemel Hempsead on Sat Feb 2nd and the Seagull in Lowestoft on the 3rd.

We also had the first test performances of DNA's Cloud Child. Two shows, all with local childminders and their young children. For pretty much all of the children it was their first visit to the theatre, but it was also the first time most of the childminders had been here. The company learned a lot through the two shows by having an audience to perform to, and the show got better throughout the day. Next show is here on Sunday at 3 with our lovely Boo family audience. Drop-in art activities start, as always, at two. What to make? Hmm... I feel a bit of dough - making coming on...

four legged friends

Today we had visitors from the Royal Exchange Theatre workshop in Manchester. They wanted to check out some of our four legged puppets in preparation for making a dog for their upcoming production of To Kill a Mockingbird.

 Whilst they enjoyed having a play with the deer from In the shadow of Trees, the wolf from Red Riding Hood, and the horse from Angus, I think they were most impressed with Sequoia the workshop wonder dog. Well, who wouldn't be..?

birth of a new blog!

Snow day today - no school! A good day to go sledding down lovely white powdery hills with my lovely children, then sit by a toasty fire and start a new blog.

So, this blog is a space to talk about the family work at Horse + Bamboo - the shows we make for children and families, shows at the Boo, puppet making activities for families, the puppet festival, visiting companies - as well as sharing pictures of what we're exploring and making in the workshop. Lots of exciting things are coming up. The Nightingale, our newest show for families, is having the shortest of January breaks, and starts the second leg of its long tour this Saturday 26th Jan at 1pm at Bury Met. Then, on Sunday, Dynamic New Animation are performing Cloud Child, their newest show for toddlers. for the past week or so they have been using the theatre space at the Boo to rehearse the show, and later this week groups from Staghills nursery and childminders with children from across Rossendale will be watching the show and giving their feedback. Then soon, very soon, puppet making will start on our very exciting adventure for Christmas. I'll let you in on that in due course...