Last week I attended the Take Off children's theatre festival in Darlington. The festival is the largest showcase of children's work in England so it was great to be able to attend, see some work and make new connections. The festival was only two days long but I still managed to pack in 8 shows, some discussions and plenty of networking opportunities.
In terms of shows there were two highlights for me. First was Sunflowers and Sheds by M6 Theatre Company - a really lovely tale of friendship set on an allotment. Frank is an older gentleman who has just lost his friend. He enjoys sitting in the sun at his allotment reading postcards from his daughter and grandson in Australia. A new owner of the allotment next door, Russian lady Isabella, disrupts Frank's peace however. Eventually these two strike up an unlikely friendship. I thought there was a real charm about the piece with some lovely performances and lots to think about for a young audience: friendship, apologising for mistakes, loneliness, and growing your own veg!
My second highlight was getting to see the wonderful White by Catherine Wheels once again. The show has become such a hot ticket since I saw it on its original run at the fringe. So much so that the venue was overfull and people were having to stand. The show has really matured since I saw it. The performances by Andy Manley and Ian Cameron are really slick and their chemistry has developed. The two are so funny to watch and the children in the audience were chuckling with delight. I urge anyone with wee ones to try to catch this show on tour or when it lands at macrobert for the run up to Christmas.
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