LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE ANNOUNCES AUTUMN/WINTER SEASON AS THE MUCH-LOVED CHILDREN’S THEATRE AND HOME OF UK PUPPETRY TURNS 60 IN NOVEMBER
THE NEW SEASON INCLUDES:
- INSPIRED BY GREENPEACE CAMPAIGNS, A MAJOR NEW PRODUCTION ‘THERE’S A RANG-TAN IN MY BEDROOM AND OTHER STORIES’ FEATURING A VOICEOVER FROM EMMA THOMPSON PREMIERES IN THE THEATRE, 10 SEPTEMBER – 7 NOVEMBER
- THE WORLD PREMIERE OF A NEW MUSICAL ADAPTATION OF PIERS TORDAY’S REMARKABLE NOVEL ‘THERE MAY BE A CASTLE’ OPENS IN THE THEATRE, 13 NOVEMBER – 23 JANUARY.
- ‘THE STORM WHALE’, A CO-PRODUCTION WITH YORK THEATRE ROYAL, THE MARLOWE THEATRE AND ENGINE HOUSE, BASED ON BENJI DAVIES’ TENDER AND HEART-WARMING CHILDREN’S STORIES RUNS IN LITTLE ANGEL STUDIOS, 20 NOVEMBER – 30 JANUARY.
- LITTLE ANGEL CONTINUE TO INNOVATE DIGITALLY WITH THEIR FREE SERIES ‘WATCH, MAKE, SHARE’, INCLUDING AN EXCITING PROGRAMME OF REGULAR DIGITAL SHORTS, FEATURING A NEW CO-PRODUCTION WITH ENGLISH TOURING OPERA, AND THEIR WEEKLY ‘PEOPLE BEHIND THE PUPPETS’ SERIES.
On 24 November 2021 iconic children’s venue Little Angel Theatre will celebrate 60 years of entertaining and inspiring generations of families through the magical artform of puppetry. When a troupe of enthusiastic puppeteers under the leadership of John and Lyndie Wright transformed a derelict temperance hall in Islington into a theatre specially designed for children’s marionette shows in 1961, nothing like it existed anywhere in London. 60 years later, under the leadership of artistic director Samantha Lane and executive director Peta Swindall, this unique theatre continues to evolve and innovate, reaching millions across the globe through its acclaimed live and digital programme.
Samantha Lane & Peta Swindall introduce the Autumn / Winter season:
“As we emerge from the pandemic and welcome live audiences back to Little Angel Theatre after such a challenging time, we are proud to announce a live/digital hybrid season of bold and ambitious new work including two major new shows that don’t shy away from big issues. ‘There’s a Rang-Tan in my Bedroom and Other Stories’ is a beautiful new show featuring a voiceover by Emma Thompson, and supporting Greenpeace and Meat Free Monday, that introduces children to the idea that no-one is too small to make a difference. There will also be accompanying digital content for those who are unable to make it to the theatre in person, or who would like to explore the issues raised in the show around sustainability and climate change in more depth.”
“A new adaptation of Piers Torday’s remarkable novel ‘There May be a Castle’ will enchant audiences over Christmas with its magical world of monsters, knights and wizards. While running in Little Angel Studios is Benji Davies’ tender and heart-warming tale ‘The Storm Whale’, a co-production with York Theatre Royal, The Marlowe Theatre and Engine House.”
“We are thrilled that our free digital output ‘Watch, Make, Share’, for which we recently won an OffWestEnd ‘OneOff’ award, will continue with new content weekly and monthly. We will also release our first series of episodes alongside ‘There’s a Rang-Tan in my Bedroom and Other Stories’. We are very proud that our digital programme has achieved 13,800 new subscribers from 95 countries, equating to 1.1 million views, 49, 500 watch hours and an overall reach of 7.5 million people, since the theatre closed its doors on 23 March 2020.”
HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE:
LITTLE ANGEL THEATRE:
There’s a Rang-Tan in my Bedroom and Other Stories
10 Sept – 7 Nov, Theatre
A Little Angel Theatre production
Supporting Greenpeace and Meat Free Monday
Aimed at ages 5-11
£13.50 adults / £11.50 children
Tickets on sale 19 August
Inspired by the Greenpeace campaign films There’s a Rang-Tan in My Bedroom and There’s a Monster in My Kitchen created by Mother and written by James Sellick, this beautiful adaptation encourages children to imagine waking up to find a turtle bathing in your bathtub, an orangutan bouncing on your bed and a jaguar creeping through your kitchen! But how did they all get there? And why on earth are they all so far from home? Featuring a voiceover from Emma Thompson, this magical mix of puppetry and music helps children to discover more about these animal friends and what they can do to help – because no one is too small to make a difference.
Credits
Concept by Mother
Written by James Sellick
Directed by Maia Kirkman-Richards
Set and costumes designed by Kate Bunce
Lighting designed by Sherry Coenen
Puppets designed by Maia Kirkman-Richards
Music composed and sound designed by Dominic Sales
Creative Producer Miranda Pitcher
Performed by Ajjaz Awad & Aya Nakamura
Accompanying this production will be a new digital video series titled Bertie! made up of 7 episodes with one being released each week, aimed at ages 5-11. Each episode in this environmental and engaging educational series will focus on Bertie, a plastic bottle who lives on a landfill site, and his encounters with other creatures via his friend The Lazy Stork (who eats from the landfill site instead of migrating for food) as he learns a new environmental lesson each time.
A detailed scheme of work will also be made available for schools to download and use alongside the digital shorts. All puppets and set will be designed using found and recycled materials – we are committed to environmental sustainability in our actions as well as in our content.
Each episode is designed as an entertaining and informative way of introducing environmental topics and can be used as a spring board for further discussion, research and learning.
Credits for Bertie!
Writer/Director – Samantha Lane
Set and Puppet Designer – Emma Tompkins
Composer – Zara Nunn
There May be a Castle
13 November – 23 January, Theatre
A Little Angel Theatre production
Aimed at ages 7-11
£14 adults / £12 children
Running time: one hour approx.
Tickets on-sale 19 August
A remarkable story about love, loss and the power of the imagination, from award-winning writer Piers Torday, is adapted into a musical puppetry production by the creators of Little Angel’s The Smartest Giant in Town and The Pixie and the Pudding.
On a frozen Christmas Eve, a young boy called Mouse Mallory, and his family, set off across the snow-white valley to visit his grandparents. They never arrive. When Mouse wakes up, he finds himself in a magical landscape, with only a talkative sheep and a very bossy horse for company. So begins Mouse’s extraordinary quest through a world of wonder. A world of monsters, minstrels, dangerous knights and mysterious wizards; a world of terrifying danger but also more excitement than Mouse has ever known.
Credits
Based on the book by Piers Torday
Adapted by Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane
Directed by Samantha Lane
Music and lyrics by Barb Jungr
Puppets designed by Judith Hope
Set and costumes designed by Ellie Mills
Lighting designed by Sherry Coenen
LITTLE ANGEL STUDIOS:
The Wishing Tree
9 – 26 September, Little Angel Studios
Please note these are new dates due to the production being rescheduled as a result of Covid delays.
£13.50 adults
£11.50 children (ages 1-17)
Tickets now on sale
Post-show workshops will take place on Saturday 11, 18 and 25 September. Tickets for workshops are £6 per family and will be available to book as an add-on to performances on these days.
Aimed at ages 5-11
Running Time: 50 mins approx.
Inspired by a brand-new Joseph Coelho poem, incorporating ideas from local Islington school children coming out of the pandemic, The Wishing Tree is a touching tribute to the importance of friendship and helping those in need. Also on display will be six unique wishing trees created by designers Alison Alexander, Ingrid Hu, Maia Kirkman-Richards, Seb Mayer, Emma Tompkins and Samuel Wilde which have been used in workshops with local school children, as well as artwork created by these children in response to the trees and Joseph’s work. Ending with a message of hope, The Wishing Tree explores a range of feelings and ideas that children in this age group can relate to.
Written by Joseph Coelho
Directed and designed by Oliver Hymans
Puppets designed by Peter Morton
Puppet costumes by Katie Underhay
Assistant Puppet Fabrication by Nicholas Willis and William Aubrey-Jones
Sound design by Elliot Mann and Kacper Slowik
Set built by Syeda Bukhari
Set build assistant Jessica Shead
Performed by Chris Nayak and Nadia Shash
The Storm Whale
20 November – 30 January, Little Angel Studios
Aimed at ages 4-8
Tickets £14 adults / £12 children
Tickets on sale 19 August
A Little Angel Theatre, York Theatre Royal, The Marlowe Theatre and Engine House co-production, based on the books by Benji Davies.
Noi lives with his Dad and their six cats by the sea. One winter, while his Dad was busy at work, Noi rescued a little whale that washed up on the beach during a storm. There a friendship began that changed their lives forever. The following winter Noi’s Dad takes one last trip in his fishing boat. Noi is alone once more and longs to see his friend again. He waits and watches, watches and waits… will it take another winter storm to bring them back together again? Benji Davies’ tender and heart-warming children’s stories of friendship, love and courage are brought to life as one enchanting theatre show.
Credits
Based on The Storm Whale and The Storm Whale in Winter by Benji Davies
Written and directed by Matt Aston
Designed by Lydia Denno
Lighting designed by Jason Salvin
Composer / Musical Director Julian Butler
Choreographed by Hayley Del Harrison
Puppet direction by Sue Dacre
Puppets made by Keith Frederick
The Christmas run of The Storm Whale at Little Angel Theatre is dedicated to the memory of our Lighting Designer and dear friend Jason Salvin (1972 – 2020).
Running time: 1 hour 15 minutes, including an interval
DIGITAL PROJECTS
The next episodes of Watch, Make, Share will be available here www.youtube.com/thelittleatheatre
People Behind The Puppets video series will be continued to be released weekly here https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLoj9np3ZxflBhteFiBZ4lqgMdpUAUdjOR