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FESTIVAL KIDS | Previews
HELP! MY SUPPLY TEACHER IS MAGIC Classroom trickery takes to the stage
As the children in CBBC’s Help! My Supply Teacher is Magic all find out, there’s something wonderfully shocking about discovering that the adult at the front of the classroom is actually a magician, and not a teacher after all. But bringing the hit TV show to the stage poses a fundamental problem: simply by virtue of buying a ticket, the game’s already up – you know full well who the performers are. But never fear: magic being what it is, though, there’s still plenty left to shock and surprise you. ‘The nature of magic is one of inherent surprise,’ says one
of the show’s magicians, Cardiff-based sleight of hand expert James Went. ‘At the outset of a trick, the audience doesn’t know what’s going to happen, but they then experience surprise when an impossible quality is demonstrated, such as levitating. There are many elements in the live show designed to do just that, so audiences will get the same kick as on TV, but amplified.’ Being naturally curious, and possibly unaware of the Magic Circle’s famously strict code of ethics, children watching the show will no doubt want to know how it’s all done. How do Went and his fellow magicians deflect the awkward questions that they get after performances?
‘We do get asked a lot, and I’m genuinely interested to find out how the children think the tricks are done,’ says Went. ‘Kids are really smart and have the ability to think in a very logical way, which is normally forgotten by the time we reach adulthood.’ But what if they can’t figure out a trick by themselves? ‘Normally they’re very respectful when you simply say, “I’m sorry, I can’t tell you.” However, in more pressing situations I’m glad to say I can generally run much faster than they can.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 3–25 Aug, 1.10pm, £11.50–£12 (£10–£10.50). Previews 1 & 2 Aug, £6.
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I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS BY MICHAEL MORPURGO Playful adaptation explores freedom to read BIG BITE-SIZE PLAY FACTORY’S FAMILY CREATURES Short plays for all the family
LITTLE HOWARD’S BIG SHOW FOR KIDS Toilet humour and tech from Howard Read
War Horse might be his most famous work, but Michael Morpurgo’s 2005 novel I Believe in Unicorns is just as powerful. In it, a boy called Tomas discovers the joy of reading through a local library storyteller called the Unicorn Lady, before the arrival of war threatens to burn the village library down. ‘I was interested in the power of the symbol of burning books,’ explains Dani Parr, director of a new production of I Believe in Unicorns. ‘We take for granted freedom of thought and being surrounded by books and stories, and yet there are still places where books are perceived as a threat.’
The show is aimed at children aged six and over
(although younger viewers are welcome) and will be very interactive, with each audience member invited to bring along a book for a special book swap at the end. ‘Our version of the book is really playful,’ Parr
continues, ‘but we also tell the more moving parts of the story, which will hopefully be a bit more challenging and thought-provoking for families.’ (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 3–26 Aug (not 12), 11.45am, £7–£9 (£6–£8.50). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £6.
64 THE LIST FESTIVAL 1–8 Aug 2013
The Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show has been delighting Fringe audiences for years with short plays in the morning, but in 2013 the group brings its first show for children to Edinburgh: The Big Bite- Size Play Factory’s Family Creatures.
‘Big Bite-Size Breakfast has been performing award- winning international short plays for nearly ten years,’ explains producer Sophia George. ‘We are sent so many wonderful plays from around the world, many beautifully crafted stories that younger people could also relate to. So we felt it was important to use these inspiring plays to reach out to a younger audience.’
The show consists of five short plays, featuring the eponymous family creatures. ‘It’s very important to us that children and adults are equally entertained,’ says George. ‘In fact, a number of the plays in Family Creatures have also been used in our adult Big Bite-Size Breakfast Show. We promise not to patronise, and we passionately believe that children are equally entitled to an exceptional standard of five-star theatre.’ (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 3–26 Aug (not 13, 20), 1pm, £8–£9 (£6–£7). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £6.
The old showbiz chestnut about not working with animals and children might still hold good, but there’s no rule against using material that kids inadvertently offer grown-up entertainers.
In Howard Read’s case, his son Sammy provided some lines that are being used verbatim in Little Howard’s Big Show For Kids. ‘My office is above our toilet and I heard him shouting down to my wife: “Mummy, there’s a slug in the toilet and I’m worried that he’ll drown because he hasn’t got any arms or legs!” People slowly work out that you’re talking about a poo. Solid gold. Literally.’
Anyone who has witnessed a show with Little
Howard (essentially an animated six-year-old boy based on his creator at that age) will know that technology is core to the project. A seasoned hand by now, Read has plenty of tricks up his sleeve in the unlikely event that a computer malfunction occurs. ‘Generally, if it goes wrong it’s because I’ve stepped
on the wrong clicker or I’ve left a controller on the other side of the stage. But I have many fail-safes – I can improvise or play the ukulele.’ (Brian Donaldson) ■ Underbelly, Bristo Square, 0844 545 8252, 3–26 Aug (not 12), 2.45pm, £10–£12 (£9–£10). Previews 31 Jul–2 Aug, £6.