FESTIVAL KIDS | Previews
READY, STEADY, CEILIDH Whirling and burling with the wee ones
PIPS AND PANDA Ultraviolet puppetry that stands the test of time RED RIDING HOOD New spin on an old yarn
Ready, Steady, Ceilidh, the younger counterpoint to Assembly’s late night dance show, This is Ceilidh, aims to introduce over-fives to the riotous pleasures of Scottish traditional dancing. Hosted by CBBC presenter and comedian Iain
Stirling, it will combine ceilidh fun with comedy, games and storytelling for all the family. Lorne MacDougall will be Ready, Steady, Ceilidh’s resident piper in August. An acclaimed traditional musician, he has played for hit films Brave and How to Train Your Dragon 2, and also at the Commonwealth Games Opening Ceremony.
‘We’ll teach you the dances step by step. That's what the “caller” does – explains everything really clearly. It doesn’t matter how much ceilidh you’ve done before, just be ready to dance.’
As for mess-ups on the dancefloor – as MacDougall says, it can go wrong for the best of us. ‘I sometimes forget the steps,’ he admits. ‘And when I do, I just copy what someone else is doing and that usually works. But if it goes completely wrong, I just smile and clap my hands – that works too.’ (Yasmin Sulaiman) ■ Assembly George Square, 623 3030, 2–25 Aug (not 11), 12.30pm, £10–£12. Previews 31 Jul & 1 Aug, £6.
There aren’t many children’s theatre companies who can claim to have entertained three generations of the same family. But if, like Purves Puppets, you’ve been treading the boards for 40 years, inevitably some of your earliest audiences will produce offspring – who enjoy the same things their parents did.
‘The main things that kids love don't change,’ says puppeteer Ian Purves. ‘Plenty of action, spectacular scenes, and characters they really identify with. We always bring the main puppets out to meet the audience afterwards, and often meet people who bring their children to see their favourites from when they were that age.’
Bringing two shows to the Fringe – Pips and Panda
in Magicland and Pips and Panda Meet the Three Bears – Purves Puppets has forged its reputation on innovative ultraviolet staging. ‘As a puppeteer, it sets you free,' explains Purves. 'You can fly through the air or vanish in a flash. It fills the whole stage with colour and holds the children's focus. And now we are combining computer animation with UV to bring our style up-to-date for the electronic generation.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ South Leith Church Halls, 07896 051826, 30 Jul–12 Aug (not 3, 10), 11am (In Magicland), 1.30pm (Meet the Three Bears), £8.
We all know the tale of the wee girl in the red cape, and the wolf with a penchant for dressing up. Or rather, we think we do. But as puppetry company Horse + Bamboo discovered, there’s more than one way to tell a classic.
‘It’s easy to think of traditional stories as always
having the same outcome,’ says puppeteer, Jonny Quick. ‘But it was exciting to discover there are many versions of Red Riding Hood throughout Europe – and they’re all different.’ Liberated by this discovery, writer Alison Duddle has reinterpreted the tale, placing more emphasis on the relationship between Red and the Wolf. ‘We also wanted Red to go on a journey inside herself as well as into the woods,’ explains Quick.
Known for its engaging use of masks, puppetry and video projection, Horse + Bamboo has won acclaim for finding alternative ways to communicate with an audience. As Quick says: ‘We use text where it helps move the story on – but for us it’s not just how you tell a story with words, it’s also about what the audience can see, hear and feel.’ (Kelly Apter) ■ Scottish Storytelling Centre, 556 9579, 1–17 Aug (not 11), 1pm, £8.50 (£6.50). Preview 31 Jul, £7.50 (£5.50).
POTTED SHERLOCK Dan and Jeff are Holmes alone
With news that Benedict Cumberbatch is returning as the supersleuth of Baker Street, while Ian McKellen is set to play a ninetysomething Holmes obsessed with cracking one final case, it seems that we just can’t get enough of Arthur Conan Doyle’s clever dick. For those who aren’t prepared to wait for their next fix of Sherlock, help is at hand from the team who brought you Potted Potter, Potted Pirates and Potted Panto, as they do their condensed thing on the deerstalker-donning detective.
‘After doing all of the seven Harry Potter books in 70 minutes, we decided to up the stakes and really challenge ourselves,’ insists Dan Clarkson, one-half of the Potted duo, which is completed by Jeff Turner. ‘What could be more challenging than doing the complete works of Sherlock Holmes, all 60 stories in 70 minutes. Averaging out at nearly a book a minute, it’s definitely our biggest challenge.’
Given the evangelical passion which followers of Harry and
Holmes are fired up with, little can be left to chance by Clarkson and Turner. They must know their subject to the nth degree for their shows to convince fans and critics. ‘Fabulously funny’ and ‘gloriously irreverent’ are just two of the quotes they’ve been able to slap on their posters. But such reviews aren’t earned by knocking out a script off the top of their heads. Intense investigation into the published and screened work
needs to be conducted – not that Clarkson is complaining: ‘So much research has gone into this one, but it wasn’t really a chore. I got to re-read all the books, watch the entire BBC Sherlock series, and then watch all 254 of the films while eating my body weight in popcorn. Being able to claim the whole time that I was working. It’s a tough old life.’ (Brian Donaldson) ■ Pleasance Courtyard, 556 6550, 1–25 Aug (not 6, 13, 20), 2.50pm, £11–£12 (£10–£11). Previews 30 & 31 Jul, £6.
58 THE LIST FESTIVAL 31 Jul–7 Aug 2014