Book Story by MONSTRO Theatre
Learn to love your shelf
Little Angel Studios: Wednesday 27th September – Sunday 1st October 2017
Little Angel Studios Press Performance: Wednesday 27th September, 10.30am
Tour: Wednesday 27th September – Saturday 4th November
In this celebration of books, reading and libraries, the pioneers of the puppet musical MONSTRO Theatre and their talented band of performers use songs, puppetry and dynamic performance to tell the story of the story in the digital age.
This is the tale of some books, in a library. But these are no ordinary books and this is no ordinary library. It’s Brian’s library: a wonderful, magical place where the books like to flutter their pages and let their shelves go… Then one day Brian changes and the library goes quiet. What’s going on? The books had better stiffen their spines and get to the bottom of this mystery.
Book Story engages with the challenges of the digital age by exploring our deep fondness for the simpler age of the page. With singing books and shimmying librarians, it’s a production that’s funny, surreal, touching and completely unpredictable. As it celebrates our love of books, Book Story also celebrates the power of our imaginations and our human need to pass on all the stories of our lives: from mind, to page, to ear, to heart. It’s a tonic for the digital age.
Award-winning writer/director Ben Glasstone comments, This is a notion I’d had maybe ten years ago when sitting in a library and staring at a shelf of oversize books, thrown haphazardly together on a shelf. These books look like odd shelf-fellows. Why are they sitting next to each other on a shelf? Who put them there? How do they feel about it? Some years later, looking for an idea for a kids’ show for my theatre company I decided to pursue these questions further. Once you start to think about books as characters, you notice a lot of compelling analogies between people and books.
This is MONSTRO’s second full production, developed with support from The Arts Council, the Puppet Centre Trust, Little Angel Theatre, Worboys Productions and the House Network.
Little Angel:
Performance Dates Wednesday 27th September – Sunday 1st October 2017
Location Little Angel Studios, Sebbon Street Community Centre, Sebbon Street, N1 2EH
Box Office Tickets are available from www.littleangeltheatre.com or 020 7226 1787 priced from £10.
Tour Dates:
6th October Goodrich Village Hall, Goodrich
High Street, Goodrich HR9 6HX
7th October Spring Arts & Heritage Centre, Havant
56 East St, Havant PO9 1BS
8th October The Capitol Theatre, Horsham
North St, Horsham RH12 1RG
9th October Hook Library, Kingston
The Hook Centre, Hook Rd, Chessington KT9 1EJ
11th October Central Library, Redbridge
Clements Road, London IG1 1EA
13th October Trestle Arts Base, St Albans
Base, Russet Dr, St Albans AL4 0JQ
14th October Old Town Hall & Arts Centre, Hemel Hempstead
44A High St, Hemel Hempstead HP1 3AE
16th October Tooting Library, Wandsworth
75 Mitcham Rd, London SW17 9PD
18th – 21st Oct TakeOff Festival, The City Theatre, Durham
Fowlers Yard, 6 Back Silver St, Durham DH1
22nd Oct Gulbenkian, Canterbury
Gulbenkian, University of Kent, Canterbury CT2 7NB
23rd Oct The Woodville, Gravesham
15A Wrotham Rd, Gravesend DA11 0PA
24th Oct Theatre Royal, Bury St Edmunds
Westgate St, Bury Saint Edmunds IP33 1QR
26th Oct Norden Farm Arts Centre, Maidenhead
Altwood Rd, Maidenhead SL6 4PF
27th Oct Arts Centre, Bridport
9 South St, Bridport DT6 3NR
29th Oct artsdepot, North Finchley
5 Nether St, North Finchley, London N12 0GA
4th Nov Astor Community Theatre, Deal
Stanhope Rd, Deal CT14 6AB