l
Scottish International Children's Festival
KIDS PREVIEW Scottish International Children's Festival
Fri 2—Sun 4 Jun. Edinburgh: various venues
Britain's biggest performing arts festival for children is about to get underway in Edinburgh's theatreland. With over 100 school performances and 30 public shows, the festival continues to provide quality theatre for young people and children. But it's not just targeted at young theatregoers in the capital. Largely due to a unique Bus Travel Scheme in partnership with the Bank of Scotland, schools across Scotland will have the opportunity to travel to the city free of charge.
’We were trying to make it easier for schools to come along,’ festival director Tony Reekie explains. 'So we got together with the Bank of Scotland to see how we could give greater access to children, and in particular how we could reach children from a certain economic background.’
Traditional tales feature heavily in this year’s programme, with an adaptation of the Beatrix Potter stories from Unicorn Theatre for Children, three companies presenting their versions of the Brothers Grimm tales of Hansel and Gretel, Snow White and The Three Billy Goats Gruff and Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are. Is it a case of the old ones are still the best?
'Even when we do classic tales, it’s always from companies that approach them in a different way,’ says Reekie. ’I don’t think there's really much point in us doing traditional theatre in a traditional way, but the flipside of that is that we don't want to get arty about it. Performance art for five-year-olds is probably not a road we want to go down.’
As ever, the Festival features a healthy mix of talent from home and abroad, including one Scottish including two UK and premieres. Danish theatre company Meridiano Teatret are staging part of Giacomo Raviccio's tetraology Air And Water — Foetus, a comedy about a stranded cosmonaut on the Mir space station. Germany's Puppen-Theater der Stadt Halle present Can You Whistle Johanna?, an award-winning tale about a boy who wants a grandad, told through marionette puppets. And newcomers Blue Tiger Music Theatre enter the weird and wonderful world of Hansel and Gretel.
Stepping inside the mind of a child isn't easy, and Reekie’s ability to programme interesting works that keep the Festival fresh and engaging is to be admired. 'You have to make a huge leap of imagination, because the bottom line is I'm 35 not five,’ says Reekie. 'But I learn something new each year, and I’m confident that this year's festival is very accessible.’ (Helen Monaghan)
Children’s
Festival
listings
Theatre
GARAGE THEATRE
Grindlay Street Court. 013] 22‘) 7941. Tickets from venue and SlCF Box Office 013] 220 434‘).
World Of The Wild Things Sat 3 Jun. lpm & 3pm. £4. Ages 7—8. Max is a mischievous little boy. running riot around the house. dressed tip in a wolf suit. But when his mum sends him to bed without any tea. his bedroom becomes a forest in which an ocean appears. leading him to the land of Wild Things. Glasgow- based TAG Theatre Company whose previous works include Little Victories and I’u‘er Pun. present their latest touring show based on Maurice Sendak‘s classic story Where The Wild Things Are. A fantastical adaptation. where the audience is actively encouraged to take part and help tell the story.
ROYAL LYCEUM THEATRE
(irindlay Street. 0131 248 4848. Tickets from venue and SICF Box Office 0131 220 434‘).
Beatrix Potter’s Jemima Puddle-Duck And Her Friends Fri 2 & Sat 3 Jun. Fri 2pm; Sat 1 lam 84 3pm. £4. Ages 4-8. Join Jemima Puddle-Duck and friends Squirrel Nutkin. Jeremy Fisher and Samuel Whiskers for adventures. stories and songs. as a cast of actors and musicians bring to life the wonderful tales of Beatrix Potter. Poet and dramatist Adrian Mitchell has adapted the stories and the highly acclaimed Unicorn Theatre For Children perform in lidinburgh for the first time.
THEATRE WORKSHOP
34 Hamilton Place. 0131 226 5425. Tickets from venue and Sl(‘.F Box Office 0l3l 2204349.
Snow White Fri 2—Sun 4 Jun. Fri 2.30pm; Sat | lam: Stiii l 1.30am & 1.30pm. £4. Ages 6+. Looking in her magic tnirror. an evil queen discovers that she's no longer the fairest of them all. A young girl called Snow White has surpassed her in the beauty stakes. Adapted from the Brothers Grimm. Tall Stories stay true to the original and more gruesome version. with their stylish
reworking of the classic tale. A huge success at last year's lidinbtirgh Fringe Festival.
Hansel and Gretel Sat 3 & Sun 4 Jun. Sat l.30pm ck 3.30pm; Stiii 3.30pm. £4. Ages 8—l2. See photo caption. TRAVERSE THEATRE
Cambridge Street. 0|.il 223 I404. Tickets from venue and Sl(‘l‘ lios ()flice 0131 2204349.
Air And Water - Foetus Mon 2‘) .\la_\ is Fri 2 Jun. Mon 7pm: Fri 2pm. £4. Ages
1 1+. Captain's log. .stai‘ date 1991 and poor old cosmonaut Sergi is stranded on the Mir space station. Meanwhile. back
on earth. the Soviet l'nion is collapsing
and his wife is about to have a baby. Meridiano Teatret from Denmark present
I the UK premiere of Air Am] lliiii'r
I'iwlus‘ by (iiacoiiio Rm iccliio. part of his highly acclaimed tetralogy about the four elements.
Under The Apple Tree in 2 Sun 4 Jun. Fri 2.30pm: Sat llaiii: Stiii 2pm. £4. Ages 3—5. Sit under the silver apple tree and explore the elements of air. water and lire and discover the senses of touch. smell and taste in this fun—filled. imaginative production brought to you by ('T(‘ ((‘leveland 'l‘heatre ('oiiipaii} l. A great introduction to live performance for younger children.
Labyrinth Sat 3 tk Stiii 4 Jun. Sal l lam dc 1.30pm; Stiii l..‘~0pm. £4. Ages 5 l0. A mythical monster lurks in a nia/e and our handsome hero is the chosen to confront the beast. llelp him stll‘\ be his epic adventures iii ancient .'\lilc‘ll\ in lills interactive show which combines storytelling. action and music. Award winning one-iiian-show from Stirling based company. Wee Stories 'l'heaire For Children.
Can You Whistle Johanna? Sat 3 .c Sun 4 Jun. Sat 3.30pm; Sun noon. Ages (w. See lioto caption.
Trol and In The Pink Sat 3 a Sun 4 Jun. Sat 1.30pm; Sun 3.30pm. £4. Ages 3 (t. See photo caption.
Film
FILMHOUSE
881.othian Rotiddllfll 28 loss. 'l'ickets from the venue and Sl(‘l-‘ Box ()ffice (H31 220 434‘).
The Tigger Movie tl'i Sat 3 is Sun 4 Jun. 2pm. See Film liides.
The Boy From Mercury it'i Sun 4 Jun. l.30pm. See Film lnde\.
Information
The Scottish International Children’s Festival runs from Fri 2-Sun 4 Jun (public performances) and takes place at the following venues: Filmhouse, l.othian Road; Garage Theatre, Grindlay Street Court; Royal Lyceum Theatre, Grindlay Street; Traverse Theatre, Cambridge Street and Theatre Workshop, Hamilton Place. For tickets and information, call the SICF Box Office on 0131 220 4349.
Booking Your Tickets‘Tickets are available by calling the SIG" Box Office on 0131 220 4349 (Mon-Sat 10am—5pm & Sun 4 Jun 10.30am-4pm) or by fax to 0131 220 1996. Alternatively. you can send postal bookings. with cheques made payable to the City of Edinburgh Council to: SlCF Box Office, The Assembly Rooms. 54 George Street. Edinburgh. EH2 ZLR, or in person until Thu l, Jun at the SICF Box Office at the Assembly Rooms (Mom-Sat lOam~5pm) and from Mon 29 May—Sun 4 Jun at SlCF Box Office at the Traverse Theatre. Cambridge Street (Mon—Fri 10am—5pm; Sat 9.30am-5pm: Sun 10.30am—4pm). Tickets for individual events are also available from the host venue, or in person one hour before the show (Fri 2-Sun 4 Jun) from the venue box office only.
Tickets Tickets for theatre performances, storytelling and dance workshops cost £4 for both adults, children and concessions. For film screenings. tickets cost £3.20 for adults and £1.80 for children.
Groups One ticket free for every ten tickets booked from the SICF box office. If you are a registered group (i.e. Scouts, after school club etc) please call 013] 225 8050 for 21 groups programme which gives details of performances. ticket prices and Bus Travel Subsidy.
TROLL AND IN THE PINK Sat 3 & Sun 4 Jun, Sat 1.30pm; Sun 3.30pm. £4. Ages 3-6. A double dose of fun in this double bill from Tutti Frutti. Troll presents a witty new version of the classic Billy Goats Gruff as they attempt to cross that bridge. In The Pink looks at the colour pink and how things are not always as they seem. Crazy capers in Tutti Frutti's own inimitable and visual style.
92 THE LIST 25 May—8 Jun 2000