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    Interview: There’s Always Room on Our Broom

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    Tall Stories’ Olivia Jacobs on producing Room On The Broom

    Fans of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s fabulous children’s books will be delighted that acclaimed theatre company Tall Stories are bringing their adaptation of Room on the Broom to the West End this summer. We asked company co-founder Olivia Jacobs to land the broom for a minute and magic up a bit of information about the show.

    Olivia, Room on the Broom is an absolute favourite picture book for children worldwide; you must feel such a responsibility to adapt it well? How do you go about bringing it to life, from page to stage?

    When Room on the Broom was first published, we were hooked immediately, and asked the authors and publishers for the rights. It’s such a brilliant adventure story – with just enough danger, a whole heap of fabulous characters and a hugely positive message about working together. Thankfully both Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler had enjoyed our previous stage production of The Gruffalo and felt that there was room on the broom for us!

    I was definitely nervous to start work on the show and I still feel that same sense of nervousness and responsibility every time I go into the rehearsal room with a new company. I want to ensure it’s always full of life on stage and that audiences leave the theatre happy and grinning.

    It was hard to know where to start developing this beautiful but complex story. We needed to create seven characters: a witch, a cat, a dog, a bird, a frog, a dragon and a mud monster, with a cast of four… We also had the tricky task of flying all of our characters, as well as creating magic spells and appearing a magnificent broom from thin air. No small challenge! We tested ideas in a rehearsal room with some very talented performers and a highly imaginative creative team – which is how we devise all our shows – trying to find the best and most entertaining way to tell the story.

    We finally settled on beginning with a camping trip; four campers setting off for a night under the stars. But nothing goes to plan when they see a witch on a broomstick flying down towards them at full pelt…This opening defines the way in which we tell the rest of the story. If audiences watch carefully, there are lots of things in the campsite scene which later find their way into the tale of the witch, the cat and their adventure.

    Tell us a bit about the music and puppetry involved.

    Puppets have a huge role in this production, and it was so important that we got them right. We had lots of questions to resolve. Which characters would be puppets? What type of puppets should we create? How big should they be? What do they need to be able to do? How many people would operate each puppet? And, of course, what happens when all seven characters are on stage with only four actors – would it be possible to operate more than one puppet at a time? Our puppet designer Yvonne Stone created prototypes for us and we played with these in a rehearsal room to discover exactly what looked best.

    Eventually we decided that Dog, Bird and Frog – all the creatures that Witch picks up on her journey – would become puppets in the show, but we determined that the design of Cat’s costume would link her to the puppet animals too.

    As the characters emerged in the devising room, the design of the puppets developed too. Bird developed long eyelashes, Frog’s leg length increased, and we finally found a way of operating Dog’s tail so he could wag it as enthusiastically as he wanted to. Whilst the puppeteers make it look easy, the puppetry in the show is really difficult. The actors develop very big muscles!

    The music followed logically as the characters became more defined. We wanted a song for everyone who joined Witch and Cat on the broom, so played with ideas of what they might sing about, and why they might want to travel by broom – especially Bird, who has her own wings!

    The show is aimed at ages 3+, but do you find older children enjoy it too?

    We’ve always tried to make shows that work for all ages. Over 60% of our attendees are grown-ups, so it seems absurd not to try to ensure that all of your audience have fun: the show needs to appeal to everyone. Families come in all shapes and sizes, and we often have older children watching alongside younger siblings. My favourite thing is actually when I hear parents talking afterwards: they often seem surprised to have laughed and had a good time, the expectation being that if it’s for their children it couldn’t possibly also be for them! We hope our shows work on different levels and remain a place where three or even four generations can enjoy being entertained together.

    Which is your favourite character in this story?

    This is an impossible question to answer. I love Dog’s enthusiasm for life, Bird’s desire to be loved, Frog’s endless charm, Witch’s scattiness and Cat’s ability to succinctly sum up and deal with any situation. And I’m pretty fond of Dragon too, for all his posturing and pretending to be brave – he’s a big softie really. I can’t pick one character – I have a soft spot for them all!

    It’s twenty-five years since Tall Stories was founded. Have things changed much since you started, and how did you get through the Covid pandemic in the last couple of years?

    When we first started Tall Stories, there were very few companies making work for a family audience, and fewer making cross-generational work. The advent of Harry Potter and Northern Lights (etc) made ‘crossover work’ a genre in itself, with new shows for family audiences springing up countrywide. I hope that we have been even a small part of improving the theatre landscape for family audiences and encouraging others to create great work for this brilliant, imaginative sector.

    Tall Stories itself has grown and developed as a company too. Twenty-five years ago it was just my co-founder Toby and I working from a spare room in a small flat in north London; now there’s a team of seven full-time staff based in the Tall Stories Studio in Highbury and Islington.

    Of course, the last few years have been hard for everyone in the entertainment industry. Our UK tour of Room on the Broom was cut short, and we rushed actors home from Hong Kong, Australia and America during the pandemic. But audiences have been very supportive and have returned to theatres to provide their children with the opportunity to see high quality performance. It feels very fitting that Room on the Broom, a story about pulling together in times of adversity, is back this year.

    Tell us a bit about your charity work, and the Tall Stories Studio.

    We’re hugely proud of the new Tall Stories Studio, which opened its doors last year after three years of searching and building. We now have our own beautiful, light, bright, ground floor accessible rehearsal space, with an office, meeting room and costume store all on site. I love that we are based within Islington’s Central Library, surrounded by stories.

    From our new home we work closely with the surrounding community, providing free accessible performances of our shows for local families who may not otherwise have access to touring work. As an example, we worked recently with local organisations The Hibiscus Centre, The Parent House and Homestart to welcome single parent families, families who have been victims of domestic abuse and refugees who are new to the community to free performances of The Gruffalo.

    Working alongside Islington council, we provide free productions for local school children, who also get to meet and greet the cast after the show and ask any burning questions that they might have.

    Within the Studio space we work with, support and nurture new and emerging storytelling artists and companies through our ‘Studio Share’ programme. We offer artists free rehearsal space to develop and share work, as well as opportunities for mentoring sessions with Tall Stories’ professional team.

    Outside of the Studio we collaborate with a variety of organisations and schemes, such as The Garden Classroom, with whom we’ve provided a unique drama and forest school experience for children aged 7-11, and Hackney Empire’s ‘Pay It Forward’ scheme which encouraged audiences when booking tickets to purchase extras for families who wouldn’t ordinarily visit the theatre. We continue to be amazed by our audience’s generosity: this year we were able to provide a free trip to Hackney Empire for over 100 under-privileged children and their families.

    As a charity, any income Tall Stories receive from our larger scale shows is routed straight back into the company. In this way, we can tour further afield, reach new audiences, offer free performances, accessible performances and develop creative work with young people, families, artists and those who don’t initially see theatre as a possible option for them.

    I may be a bit biased, but I think Tall Stories is an amazing company to be part of.

    You have a background of touring productions, so how does it feel to be settling in to a West End venue for a big long stretch?

    It’s wonderful that we’re flying into the West End for the summer with Room on the Broom and lovely to be working with Nimax and their fabulous team at the gorgeous Lyric Theatre, but we never rest on our laurels. The show will tour the length and breadth of the country between now and April 2023 – visit our website for details about the venues we’re touring to! www.roomonthebroomlive.com

    Room on the Broom runs from Thursday 21 July to Sunday 4 September at the Lyric Theatre in Shaftesbury Avenue, London. Further information and bookings can be found here. More

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      Interview: Hopping on the Kindertransport to the Little Angel

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      Smoking Apples’ Molly Freeman on Kinder at Little Angel Theatre

      Kinder is an immersive new show for children, hitting the stage of the Little Angel Theatre this May. Set just before WW2, it tells the story of a small Czech-Jewish girl called Babi, who is sent away from her home on a journey to safety in the UK.

      We had a chat with Director Molly Freeman of Smoking Apples, the award-winning puppetry and visual theatre company, who have created this intriguing production, to find out more.

      So Molly, Kinder is about the Czech Kindertransport rather than the more familiar German one. Did they both happen at the same time? Why have you chosen to explore the Czech one?

      The Kindertransport in Germany and Czechoslovakia, took place at the same time, yes. This was all just before the outbreak of WW2, in 1938. The catalyst for this movement was Kristellnacht, where the Nazis undertook violent acts against Jewish people and businesses in Germany.

      A lot of people are familiar with the German Kindertransport, but Europe and the Jewish communities were very connected so word got out elsewhere that these violent acts were taking place. As a result, the British authorities allowed minors to seek refuge and enter Great Britain from Germany and German-annexed territories, which Czechoslovakia fell under.

      We wanted to explore the Czech Kindertransport for a number of reasons. Firstly, there can often be a sense of compartmentalisation with these stories, as in, ‘oh that happened in Germany because that’s where the war started’. But we wanted to reflect that the repercussions of the early situation in Germany had a ripple effect across Europe, impacting and affecting a huge number of people elsewhere. Secondly, the Czech Kindertransport was instigated by Sir Nicholas Winton, a British man, and myself and my co-artistic directors, Matt and Hattie used to live in Prague, so it felt like we would be able to tell this story from a place of understanding, in terms of the locations and cultures.

      I understand you have rather an unusual immersive space for the show. Can you tell us a bit about it and how the audience fit in?

      The space is a freestanding, self-sufficient box structure. The audience are seated inside and the performers play from the outside of the box inwards, through a series of hatches and openings. The set allows us to be completely in control of the show environment and to reflect the visceral nature of Babi’s journey; her excitement, bombardment and, at times, fear of it all. It also means that wherever we take the show, the audience can always have the same experience, whether that’s in a theatre, a community centre or a school hall.

      Smoking Apples are renowned for their fabulous puppetry work: I was very impressed with your giant walking tree last summer! What kind of puppets are in this show? And why use puppetry rather than just do a straight play?

      Ah yes, that was our Arbor, the tree! He’s pretty hard to miss! Kinder uses a combination of table-top bunraku-style puppetry, shadow puppetry and object manipulation. We are a puppetry company but we always ask ourselves ‘why puppets?’ at the start of every show. For Kinder, it allows us to jump backwards and forwards in the timeline of Babi’s story, but the form itself allows us to bring new resonance to actions. Across her journey, the actions that both Babi and the people she encounters around her are magnified and this helps the audience to focus on them as catalysts. When an actor performs an action, you read it as a whole but you may miss the importance of it because it is natural and already in human form. When a puppet performs an action, it is magnified because of the effort and care that has to be taken in order for it to do it.

      Are there any other interesting or unusual production features you can tell us about?

      In Kinder we are, for the first time, using a combination of shadow puppets, silhouette and OHP puppetry to form our overall shadow puppetry strand. This is a fairly new system of working for us but enables us to have a more film-like quality to the work.

      We’ve also taken inspiration from Czech illustrators, such as Miroslav Sasek, to create illustrated backgrounds for the shadow puppetry, so there is additional visual depth there. Czech illustration, as a broad style, is very striking and often warps scale and perception, which felt appropriate as a reflection of Babi’s young mind. We also use verbatim throughout the show, so there are segments of stories from real people who were evacuated on Kindertransport trains. The Voice/Vision Holocaust Survivor Oral History Archive kindly gave us permission to use them and the piece would be very different without those.

      What themes does the show explore? Presumably, it’s not just a bleak and depressing war story?

      Not at all! Mostly, Kinder is about hope and about how the acts of kindness that Babi encounter along the way really do make all the difference to her; in fact, they save her. Of course, there is difficult content in there and we wouldn’t be doing the story justice if we didn’t cover that, but it’s a tale of humanity, in all its various forms. For me, that’s what’s so compelling, particularly in light of the situation in Ukraine. Despite nationality, despite culture, despite race, despite religion; what binds us is that we are human and if we can hold on to that, kindness will prevail.

      You’ve made a show for older children, age 11-16, which is brilliant to see, as teenagers can often miss out on this kind of really creative, visual theatre. Is Kinder just for schools, or for wider family groups?

      We wanted to make a show specifically for teenagers because as you say, they’re often missed out.  We regularly work with young people, so something the story focuses on is this idea of identity and what that means. Teenagers are often asked to make really tricky calls on their futures; who they are, what they want to be. But ultimately, it’s sometimes OK to not have all the answers, to change your mind, or to just not know.

      We’ve also reflected the age group in the actual construction and presentation of the work. Sometimes shows can feel physically and emotionally very distant, making them hard to engage with. By placing the audience literally in the centre of the action and actively removing the preconceived notion of sitting still and being quiet, we hope that their engagement and investment will be much greater. Kinder is definitely something that wider family groups can enjoy though, and whilst we wouldn’t recommend it for younger audiences, it’s a great show for families, as familial ties are at the heart of our story and you see Babi as a grandmother, revisiting her past with her Grandson.

      What do you hope your audiences will come away with from Kinder?

      As I mentioned, Kinder is a show about hope. There are joyful parts and there are sad parts, but ultimately it is a reminder of all of the things that unite us when conflict tries to divide us. Being sat inside the set, with the show taking place around you, brings a different perspective on the work, one that we hope will resonate with our audiences. 

      I believe the show is going on a journey of its own, isn’t it? Where will your tour take you?

      We’re opening the show at the Little Angel Theatre in London and then we’ll be visiting the National Holocaust Centre and Museum in Newark (near Nottingham) before heading on to Harwich Festival. We’re planning on touring Kinder fully next year and will be visiting theatres, schools, festivals and community centres.

      Many thanks to Molly for taking the time to talk to us. Kinder is on at the Little Angel Studios from 12–14 May, and is aimed at ages 11-16. Further information and bookings can be found here.

      The show will also play National Holocaust Centre & Museum 31 May & 1 June, then Harwich Festival, Harwich on 30 June & 1 July More

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      Interview: Prepare for a Surprise

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      Author Eileen Browne on bringing Handa’s Surprise to Little Angel Theatre

      Handa’s Surprise is a modern classic children’s book, named one of the best culturally diverse picture books in the UK. The story takes us to Kenya, following in Handa’s footsteps as she journeys to see her best friend Akeyo, in the next village. Handa is taking seven delicious fruits as a surprise – but seven different animals have seven very different ideas… could you resist the sweet-smelling guava? How about a ripe red mango or a tangy purple passion fruit?

      The story is now being transferred to the stage, so it was our delight to spend time with the book’s author, Eillen Browne, to find out why this story is still one children love, and just what to expect when it gits the stage.

      This stage production of Handa’s Surprise is based on a book that’s still a best seller nearly 30 years after its first publication. What is it about the tale that children love? 

      Well, the book is visually vibrant. The cover shows a girl carrying a luscious bowl of fruit and there’s a hint that something’s about to happen – an ostrich in the background is keenly looking on. But most of all, the words tell one story and the pictures tell another. Children can see what’s happening when Handa can’t.

      After all this time in the pandemic with its travel restrictions it’s fabulous to be immersed in the incredible colours and imagery of another country! Can you tell us a bit about Handa, and her life in Africa?

      Yes, it is lovely to be taken to other places during these restrictive times. The story is set somewhere very different to the places that most readers will be living. Handa is a made-up but well researched character. Two women from London’s Kenya Tourist office gave invaluable advice about hairstyles and  lifestyles of girls living in the countryside of South-West Kenya.

      The original picture book is beautifully illustrated. What are you looking forward to most about seeing them brought to life from page to stage? 

      It’s good to hear that you like the illustrations. The Little Angel’s production has captured the warmth and vibrancy of the pictures and given it extra dimensions with music and movement and an exciting variety of puppetry.

      What are the main themes raised in the story, and are they likely to open up conversations for the audience? 

      This is a story about friendship, a journey and the unexpected. It shows that when bad things happen, really good things can happen too and the characters, readers and audience all get a lovely surprise. As with the book, the onlookers will have lots to talk about.

      What other fun things are included in the production? 

      The interaction of the actors with their very young audience is wonderful.

      What do you hope your audiences will take from the show? 

      As well as ‘travelling’ to another place, hopefully the audience will leave feeling more cheerful than they did when they arrived.

      Is this production going to be touring elsewhere?

      Yes, Handa’s Surprise will be on at Little Angel Studios from 9 February – 16 April before heading out on tour in the Spring.

      Thanks to Eileen for taking the time to chat with us. Handa’s Surprise is on now at Little Angel Theatre, playing until 16 April. Further information and booking via the below link. More

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      Interview: Time to hear The Awesome Truth!

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      Actor LJ Parkinson on Cinderella: The Awesome Truth!

      There are some fantastic festivities at the Polka Theatre in Wimbledon this Christmas, with Cinderella: The Awesome Truth! taking to the stage. It’s a twist on the traditional Cinderella story that brings it bang up to date with loads of songs, laughs and a message of kindness. We chatted with LJ Parkinson who plays Dandini to find out a bit more about the show.

      So LJ, there’s some serious partying going on at the palace just now. Do you think you and the rest of the cast can take the pace? How have the audiences been responding to Cinderella? 

      The audience response has been fantastic! It’s funny you should mention about the pace because I am currently performing the show from a wheelchair as I am injured, but the show hasn’t lost one moment of its momentum or sass… it’s opened up new dynamics between us all and though I found it very difficult at first I’ve found my way through the challenge.

      This is not a traditional version of the story, is it?  What makes it so different, and what is your role in the show?

      No, it’s not a traditional version of the story, we felt that the traditional story wasn’t inclusive and doesn’t present healthy views on beauty and self-esteem and that’s what we set out to rectify. So many families are multi-cultural, and representation and diversity is really important to us all here so it’s vital we tell these stories. We explore many themes in this play including gender identity, fat phobia, social media pressures and platonic friendships, which equip the audience with stronger tools to navigate this modern society that tells you that you have to be a certain way or you’re ugly … we took ugly and made it about being uniquely glorious and loud and proud !

      There are some cracking songs in the production, any favourites?

      So my favourite song is “Because You’re Awesome” and is the duet between Cindy and Ella. Their voices are so beautiful and to see the friends go on this challenging journey to sisterhood is a really hopeful message that when families merge together that can overcome it and nothing will be lost: in fact you can gain a sister and become an unbeatable force!

      One of the things that works really well in the show is the audience interaction. What’s the funniest or weirdest thing the kids have shouted out to you?

      So in the top of Act Two I come out on stage and have a chat with the children about using our imaginations to build the party for Prince Francis. At one point I ask what music we were listening to and one small child shouted “Chopin!” This was for certain the highlight of my entire career – I think it turned out we were listening to Chopin, eating chocolate sausage rolls and sushi decorated the entire palace. Classic!

      It’s brilliant to see a non-binary actor like yourself taking on such a traditional pantomime role and totally redefining it, whilst just being your authentic, hilarious self. Do you think this normalising approach might encourage new audiences, who will see themselves represented in what you do?

      I think it’s so important to introduce actors and characters that are from all walks of life whether it’s gender identity race or disability or non-conventional families. In the news they tend to focus on issues like bathrooms and JK Rowling. Whilst those things are important for some people, I am more focussed in carving out a path to experience the world in full colour and allowing my authentic self to thrive without prejudice and encourage others to do so too. By having a non-binary character in a kids show, we are showing people from a young age before the world has told them there’s something wrong with being different from the heteronormative, that we exist and actually we are a lot of fun and that is nothing to be ashamed of.

      Another interesting member of the cast is Sass. Have you ever worked with a squirrel before, and are you likely to do it again?

      I have never worked with a squirrel before but I have heard on the grapevine that there are a couple of agencies trying to put Sass on their books so I’m sure we’ll see Sass on the West End very soon! I hope they put in a good word for me.

      As you’re playing Dandini, the palace chef, will you be cooking Christmas lunch this year, and will there be sausage rolls?

      I absolutely will be cooking Christmas lunch this year for all the cast including Sass so I will have to put in a nut roast!! I’ll be dazzling them with my special Yorkshire puddings and the best beef dripping roast potatoes… although my special cheese soufflés and chocolate sausage rolls are also going on the menu… It’s going to be the best Xmas ever!!!

      Many thanks to LJ for taking the time to chat with us. You can enjoy Cinderella: The Awesome Truth! at the Polka Theatre until January 30. Further information and tickets at the link below. More