KIDS | Previews
WEE WRITE MUSEUM MYSTERY SQUAD / MAGIC OF THE MUMMY Mitchell Library, Glasgow, Sat 3 & Sun 4 Mar COMEDY KEITH FARNAN: KIDOCRACY The Stand, Edinburgh, Sat 10 Mar; The Stand, Glasgow, Sun 11 Mar
From the young King Tutankhamun to spooky wrapped-up mummies, and from the magisterial Sphinx to those jaw-dropping pyramids, the iconography of Ancient Egypt lives on in the west’s collective psyche. At Wee Write (the weekend children’s programme within Aye Write!), two events will keep that flame burning a little longer.
Museum Mystery Squad and the Case of the Hidden Hieroglyphics with Mike Nicholson (Sat 3 Mar, 12.45pm) is an hour of riddles, red herrings and odd facts after a curious message is found on a Pharaoh’s casket. Dubbed ‘Scooby-Doo meets Doctor Who’, this should appeal to young code-cracking detectives. Meanwhile, Clydebuilt Puppet Theatre’s Magic of the Mummy: Tales of
Ancient Egypt (Sun 4 Mar, 12.15pm) features an intrepid explorer entering a tomb in search of the first mummy. As puppeteer Leigh McCalister notes, when it comes to Ancient Egypt, we’re all in the same boat. ‘Like archaeologists, children are also fascinated by this ancient past, a colourful world entirely different to the one in which we now live, one that’s full of magic and mystery.’
Magic of the Mummy uses shadow sequences and rod puppets to bring this bygone period to vivid life. ‘The show is a wonderful puppetry and storytelling theatre experience about the creation of the first mummy and who the important Gods of Ancient Egypt were,’ says McCalister. ‘It’s a story of life and death, and love and jealousy in Egypt, based on figures that were left inside the pyramids.’ (Brian Donaldson)
He may have tackled big topics such as capital punishment, gender inequality and state surveillance in his stand-up, but acclaimed Irish comedian Keith Farnan is attempting his most ambitious show to date. Kidocracy is an interactive affair for (and with) kids, in which the perfect island is created and shaped by children right there on stage, with the emphasis firmly on both fairness and fun. ‘Kidocracy feels like a long-term project and is probably the most far-reaching
I’ve ever done,’ notes Farnan. ‘The show has been great in demonstrating just how much kids already know about the politics of the time we’re living in. The idea of trying to show how important and how much fun it can be to participate in building a country is central to it, which means I’m trying to hear from every child in the audience at least once.’ With Farnan dressed as the druid-like Brehon (a figure inspired by judges from ancient Irish history), his wide-eyed enthusiasm and boundless energy propel the children to follow their own sense of what would make a civilised society through a series of games. ‘I never intended to do a show for children. But after doing Comedy for Kids, I thought I could develop a fun kids show that introduced ideas of leadership and democracy to those who may not necessarily attend the schools where the supposed future leaders are to be cultivated or come from families where there’s an interest in politics. That makes it appear like I’m trying to start some revolution but unfortunately I’m not that organised.’ (Brian Donaldson)
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CONTEMPORARY DANCE CURIOUS SEED: TEENAGE TRILOGY Tramway, Glasgow, Fri 9–Sun 11 Feb; Perth Theatre, Fri 16 & Sat 17 Feb
Childhood may be a hazy memory for some, but most of us can remember the highs and lows of being a teenager. And although life as an adolescent in 2018 is a world wide web away from those growing up in the past, some things remain constant – as choreographer Christine Devaney discovered during the creation of Curious Seed’s new show, Teenage Trilogy.
‘External pressures have changed, and the internet seems to be the biggest concern now,’ she says. ‘But the things that we have to go through physically, mentally and emotionally, I don’t think that changes. When we spoke to teenagers, we found that even with cultural differences, they talked about the same things we’ve always gone through.’ A work in three parts, comprising an art exhibition created by young people, a dance performance and silent disco, Teenage Trilogy was born out of conversations at home and abroad, including in Denmark and India.
‘This isn’t a documentary about being a teenager, this is us
creating art in response to what teenagers have said, what they’re worrying about, what they’re busy with,’ explains Devaney. ‘The people we met in Denmark and India aren’t in the show, as such, but their stories and reactions are.’ Performed by four professional dancers, plus two ‘real teens’
and two ‘vintage teens’, the centre piece of the show will be followed by a chance for everybody to get up and dance. ‘We asked everyone to suggest a song from their teenage
years to add to our “Teenage Times” playlist on Spotify,’ says Devaney. ‘We’ll be handing out headphones for the audience to dance to songs from different eras. We won’t force people to join in, but I think it will be great fun.’ (Kelly Apter)
66 THE LIST 1 Feb–31 Mar 2018 66 THE LIST 1 Feb–31 Mar 2018