CLAYTIME
Hands-on fun for little ones
Watching a performer play With a fun prop can be a frustrating busmess for children. Being so near and yet so far from something they'd love to get their hands on. Happily, Steve Tiplady and Sally Brown are more than Willing to share their prop With you - in fact. that's what it's there for.
Aimed at 3—6-year-olds, Claytirne is an interactive show introducmg children to the ioy of clay. Taking ideas from the audience. Tiplady and Brown mould the clay into various objects. then turn it into a story. 'There's a different dynamic when the kids are very young — it's much more gentle,‘ says Tiplady. “When we have older children it can get very funny and raucousl
After the story, children are ihVited to handle the clay themselves. ‘Part of the experience is parents playing With their children,‘ says Tiplady. ‘But we ask them to work alongSide their kids, rather than do it for them — because it doesn't matter what they make, it's all about enjoying the clay.“ (Kelly Apter) I Assembly Universal Arts. Freemasons Hall, 623 3030, 4—27 Aug (not 75), 70.4Sam, E8 (E7). Prevrews 2 <3 3 Aug, 85.
THE ENCHANTED CASTLE
Magical adaptation of classic novel
Written by Edith Nesbit in 1907 — a year after her most famous book, The Railway Children — The Enchanted Castle never received the recognition it deserved. Which is why Peaceful Lion Theatre has decided to shine a spotlight on it. in this its centenary year
The stOry of four children who stumble upon a magical castle. an inviSible princess. 8 magic ring and more adventures than you can shake a wand at. the book poses lots of theatrical challenges. ‘It’s a little tricky to stage.’ says director, Ollie Fielding. ‘But we've come up with an ingenious set design, which allows us to do most of the magic in the book.‘
At the end. children Will be given a
werksheet based on the show. hopefully ncouragicg them to discover the book fOr themselves. 'We want to give the sense that its not rust ab0ut watching a play] says Fieiding ‘You can take the magic awa, with you and link learning With fun '
(Kelly Apter)
I Pleasance Dome, 556 6550. 33—27 Aug (not 75/, 77.258m, £77 «£6, Prewews 3 3 4 Aug. [5.
KIDSAMONIUM
Lively introduction to jazz
While Jazz improv may not immediater spring to mind as ideal kids entertainment, Tom BanCroft, drummer and innovatOr behind the hugely successful children's Jazz
BANG ON!
Unconventional percussion hits the spot
Saucepans and wooden spoons may form the backbone of the average kitchen, but for Katie Stephenson and Dave Smith, they’re musical instruments. For the past five years, the duo have been wowing the crowds on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile with their unusual percussion show. Both trained musicians, they found kitchen and garden utensils had far more impact than conventional instruments.
‘If you turn up as a four-piece band with guitars, everyone’s seen it before and it’s not such a spectacle,’ says Stephenson. ‘Whereas if we turn up, we set up the rig and people stop to look at it before we’ve even done anything.’ Laden with watering cans, buckets, frying pans and rakes, the Bang On! rig is a sight to behold. And this year, for the first time, Stephenson and Smith
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The colourful. Mei. show awed at ages 6— ‘ -1. features tre'htmni-r‘ia'.ind 'nyst-c Chickens. a mass ‘iwzrgtissw‘ discussion and a hilarious danceorf lo' mums and (facts '3 was a'l.'.a.s arr‘tiitzon to do soir‘ethirig for kids tl‘at wouldn't have thorn thinking, "Oh, this IS'l'l for "‘Ie. it's for {illl‘.‘.”"rlllit3n,' says Bancroft Recently. Bancroft brought a flavo:ir of the kids' show tc a whole '10:: audience when he won the BBC Jar; Award for innovation ‘I ended up in front of 800 people dressed as flat; in a purple costume. It wasn’t quite how I‘d imagined picking up an award. but the audience were well an for it.' (Allan Radcliffei I Assemb/yaSt George 's l‘i/est, (£23 3030. 3— l 7 Aug mo: 5;, 70am, £13,530.
MEN OF STEEL Messy puppet fun
Three of Australia's leading piippeteers are zooming into Edinburgh and making inanimate OUJC‘CIS come to life. Men of Steel follows the antics of three defenceless cookie cutters who escape from a draw and head off in search of culinary treats. Perforiried by Sam Routledge, Tamara Rewse and
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are moving their Fringe show into a venue.
‘We got to the point where we’d perfected the show and it was time to take the next step,’ explains Stephenson. ‘And we had lots of ideas that wouldn't work on the street, either because they’re too quiet or we physically couldn’t use the props.’ As well as the show, the duo will be running fun percussion workshops, where you can take along an object of your choice and bang the hell out of it. ‘You can bring
anything that makes a noise by hitting, scraping or
(Kelly Apter)
£6 (£5).
shaking it,‘ says Stephenson. ‘We just want people to realise that anyone can make music from anything.’
I Sweet ECA. Edinburgh College o/Art, 08/0 .24 l (i 736, 3~27 Aug (not 7, 73. 20), 2pm, {‘7 (HS). Prev/rm L’ Aug, 5 7') (F42; Workshop 4—27 Aug inot i’, l3.
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40 THE LIST FESTIVAL MAGAZINE 2—9 Aug 2007