Little Angel Theatre Announces Autumn / Winter Season

Little Angel Theatre today announces shows for their upcoming Autumn / Winter season, including:

• Take your seats for the smallest circus in town! Little Angel Theatre’s Miniature Travelling Circus runs from 16 September – 13 November in Little Angel Studios featuring beautiful puppets, nostalgic magic tricks and tiny circus acts.
   
• From 24 September – 20 November in Little Angel Theatre, Monstro Theatre and Little Angel’s co-production The King of Nothing will use music, slapstick and puppetry to re-tell Hans Christian Andersen’s beloved story, The Emperor’s New Clothes.
   
• For families this Christmas The Pixie and the Pudding is based on a tale from Scandinavian folklore running 19 November – 29 January at Little Angel Studios, Little Angel’s classic production of Michael Rosen’s We’re Going on a Bear Hunt returns, running 26 November 2022 – 29 January at Little Angel Theatre and Little Angel’s acclaimed production of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s The Smartest Giant in Town has a West End run at St Martin’s Theatre from 30 November – 1 January.
   
• Little Angel’s touring productions will include The Smartest Giant in Town, The Singing Mermaid, We’re Going On A Bear Hunt, There’s a Rang-Tan in my Bedroom and other stories, and Me…
   
• Visiting company Swallow’s Wings Puppetry perform Anansi Brings Back the Day, a funny and inspiring West African Tale told with puppetry, spoken word and traditional African music on 27 October at Little Angel Theatre.

Little Angel Theatre Artistic Director Samantha Lane and Executive Director Peta Swindall introduce the new season:

“We are delighted to have a number of Little Angel productions out on the road this year including ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’, ‘The Singing Mermaid’, ‘There’s a Rang-Tan in my Bedroom and other stories’ and ‘Me’. After reaching so many new families during lockdown with our digital work, it is fantastic that our audiences can keep growing and new people far and wide can experience these beautiful stories live in their local theatres.

“Back at Little Angel Theatre, we are co-producing ‘The King of Nothing’ a brand-new take on ‘The Emperors New Clothes’ with puppetry company MONSTRO, using music, puppets and slapstick comedy to reimagine the classic Hans Christian Andersen story. This will run alongside a magical new Little Angel production – ‘Little Angel Theatre’s Miniature Travelling Circus’ in our Studio space, full of interactive fun for our younger audiences.

“Perfect for families over Christmas, ‘The Pixie and the Pudding’ will bring some music and magic to Little Angel Studios and runs alongside Michael Rosen’s classic ‘We’re Going on a Bear Hunt’ at Little Angel Theatre. Both productions feature the wonderful work of Barb Jungr whose original songs and lyrics can also be heard in ‘The Smartest Giant in Town’ which is not only touring but will also be running in tandem with ‘The Mousetrap’ at St Martin’s Theatre when it transfers to the West End over Christmas – the first production to do so in The Mousetrap’s 48-year history.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to bring these beloved stories to so many new audiences, we hope there is something for everyone to enjoy!”

LITTLE ANGEL AUTUMN / WINTER SEASON:

Little Angel Theatre’s Miniature Travelling Circus
A Little Angel Theatre production
16 September – 13 November 2022
Little Angel Studios
Running time: approximately 45 minutes
Aimed at ages 3 – 6 years

Roll up! Roll up! Take your seats for the smallest circus in town.

Join Little Angel’s Miniature Travelling Circus and be delighted by beautiful puppets, nostalgic magic tricks and acts so tiny you may wonder how you can possibly see them!

The show is a fun, interactive puppet show designed for 3-6 year-olds.

Credits:
Written, devised and directed by Miranda Pitcher
Additional text and devised by Lizzie Wort
Performed by Lizzie Wort
Puppets designed and made by Lyndie Wright
Lighting design by Sherry Coenen
Music and sound design by Julian Butler
Set and costume design by Miranda Pitcher
Stage management by Victoria Porter

The King of Nothing
A Little Angel Theatre and Monstro Theatre co-production
24 September – 20 November 2022
Little Angel Theatre
Running time: 50 minutes
Aimed at ages 5 – 11 years

King Reginald is a ruler who likes to keep in style. But the fashions change so fast, he’s afraid he can’t keep up…

Hearing of the King’s predicament, two fast-talking “Weavers” head to the palace with their brand new fabric: it’s “smart” and it’s “in” and it NEVER goes out of fashion. Soon the Kingdom is alive with talk of the magical cloth and Reginald can’t wait to wear his “smart” new suit to the Big Parade. But what are these “weavers” really spinning…?

Inspired by The Emperor’s New Clothes, this wild new Puppet Musical sets out to prove…You’ll Believe Anything!

MONSTRO and Little Angel Theatre’s latest Puppet Musical is an anarchic re-telling of Hans Christian Andersen’s Emperor’s New Clothes. With songs, puppetry, slapstick and more, the two Swindlers (or should we call them “actors”?) will weave their cunning magic on children and adults alike…

Credits:
Directed by Steve Tiplady
Writer/composer and musical direction by Ben Glasstone 
Performed by Karina Garnett and Gilbert Taylor                                    
Set, costume and puppet design by Alison Alexander
General management by Rae Lee
Executive Producers: Sofia Berenger and George Warren
Social Media Management by Trynity Silk

Funded by Arts Council National Project Grants

The Pixie and the Pudding
A Little Angel Theatre production
19 November 2022 – 29 January 2021
Little Angel Studios
Running time: 1 hour
Aimed at ages 4 – 11 years

It’s Christmas Eve on the farm, and the chickens, pigs and cows are fast asleep. Inside the farmhouse, the fire is roaring and a delicious, steaming pudding is left out on the windowsill…

When Charlie and her dad move to the farm from the city, everything seems to go wrong. Dolly the cow’s in a grump, there’s not an egg to be found, and even the cockerel has stopped crowing! If only they’d paid attention to the mysterious note left on their windowsill about a curious pixie and the pudding she likes to eat on Christmas Eve…

This enchanting musical brings a tale from Scandinavian folklore to life with puppetry, original music and a sprinkling of pixie magic.

Credits:
Written by Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane
Directed by Samantha Lane
Music and lyrics by Barb Jungr
Set and costume design by Mila Sanders
Puppets designed and made by Lyndie Wright
Lighting design by Sherry Coenen
Performed by Ashleigh Cheadle and Samuel Dutton

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
By Michael Rosen
A Little Angel Theatre production
26 November 2022 – 29 January 2023
Little Angel Theatre
Running time: approximately 45 minutes
Aimed at ages 3 – 8 years

We’re going on a bear hunt.
We’re going to catch a big one.
What a beautiful day!
We’re not scared.

A family go on an expedition of a lifetime – running down the grassy bank, wading through the cold river, squelching over the oozy mud, stumbling into the dark forest, then peering into a cave… what will they find there?

Little Angel Theatre brings Michael Rosen’s thrilling and funny adventure to life in this entrancing puppetry production, with puppets designed by Lyndie Wright and with original music by Barb Jungr, this production is ideal for brave hunters and bear lovers alike.

Credits:
Adapted by Peter Glanville and Barb Jungr
Directed by Peter Glanville
Music and lyrics by Barb Jungr
Puppets designed and made by Lyndie Wright
Set design by Simon Plumridge
Lighting design by David Duffy
Performed by Mark Esias, Lowri James, Nix Wood and Edward Wren
Stage management by Matt Llewellyn

This play is based on the original book We’re Going on a Bear Hunt by Michael Rosen and illustrated by Helen Oxenbury. Illustrations from the book copyright © 1989 Helen Oxenbury. By permission of Walker Books Ltd, London.

Anansi Brings Back the Day
A Swallow’s Wings Puppetry production
27th October, 11.30am & 2.30pm
Little Angel Theatre
Running Time 45 minutes
Aimed at ages 5 – 11 years

A funny, irreverent and inspiring West African Tale told with puppetry, spoken word and traditional African music.

Darkness covers the face of the land.
Lion needs someone to bring back the Sun.
Who will succeed?
The Powerful Eagle?
The Clever Monkey?
or Anansi and his mates?

The Anansi stories are African heritage predating the trauma of slavery. These humorous, lively and “community” led stories travelled with enslaved African people to the Caribbean. The stories then came to the UK when the UK government asked the Windrush Generation to come here to help with the labour shortage after WWII. The Stories are part of our multicultural British heritage and have a universal appeal.

Credits:
Directed by Eileen Bellot and Joy Haynes
Composition, and songs and music performed by Mosi Conde
Spoken Word Artist, and written by Abstract Benna
Puppeteer, workshop leader, and design by Caroline Ada

LITTLE ANGEL ON THE ROAD

We’re Going on a Bear Hunt
By Michael Rosen
A Little Angel Theatre production
Touring from 21 September – 20 November
Running time: approximately 45 minutes
Aimed at ages 2 – 5 years

Listings:
The Theatre Chipping Norton
21 – 24 September

the egg, Bath
27 September – 1 October

Polka Theatre, Wimbledon
5 – 16 October

Greenwich Theatre
26 – 30 October

Leeds Carriageworks
2 – 5 November

The Hawth, Crawley
9 – 12 November

Lakeside Arts, Nottingham
17 – 20 November

The Smartest Giant in Town
By Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler
Published by Macmillan Children’s Books
A Fierylight and Little Angel Theatre co-production
Touring from 12 October – 20 November
St Martin’s Theatre, London from 30 November 2022 – 1 January 2023
Running time: approximately 55 minutes
Aimed at ages 2 – 8 years

George wishes he wasn’t the scruffiest giant in town. So when he sees a new shop selling giant-sized clothes, he decides it’s time for a new look: smart trousers, smart shirt, stripy tie, shiny shoes. Now he’s the smartest giant in town . . . until he bumps into some animals who desperately need his help – and his clothes!

The Smartest Giant in Town will run at St Martin’s Theatre from 30 November – 1 January where it will be the first production ever to play in tandem with The Mousetrap which has run at the theatre since 1974.

Further tour UK dates will include Perth Theatre from 12 October 2022, followed by Lanark Memorial Hall, Leicester Curve, Liverpool Playhouse, Brierley Hill Civic Hall, Newport Live, Southend Palace Theatre, Radlett Arts Centre, Cider Mill Chipping Campden, The Maltings, Berwick-upon-Tweed and Tunbridge Wells Trinity Theatre.

Listings:
Perth Theatre
12 – 13 October

Lanark Memorial Hall
15 – 16 October

Leicester Curve
20 – 23 October

Liverpool Playhouse
25 – 29 October

Brierley Hill Civic Hall
30 October

Newport Live
1 – 2 November

Southend Palace Theatre
5 November

Radlett Arts Centre
6 ­– 8 November

Corby Cube
11 November

Cider Mill, Chipping Campden
12 ­– 13 November

The Maltings, Berwick-upon-Tweed
16 November

Tunbridge Wells Trinity Theatre
20 November

Credits:
Adapted by Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane
Directed by Samantha Lane
Music composed by Barb Jungr
Set and costume design by Kate Bunce
Lighting design by Sherry Coenen 
Puppets designed and made by Judith Hope

This dramatisation of The Smartest Giant in Town is based on the picture book The Smartest Giant in Town © Text Julia Donaldson 2002 and © Illustrations Axel Scheffler 2002, published by Macmillan Children’s Books.

The Singing Mermaid
By Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monks
Watershed Productions present a Little Angel Theatre and Royal & Derngate, Northampton co-production
Running time: approximately 50 minutes
Aimed at ages 3 – 8 years

One day, the singing mermaid is tempted away from all of her sea creature friends and her peaceful home at Silversands to join a travelling circus. The audiences love to hear her sing, but the poor mermaid was tricked! Instead of the swimming pool she was promised, she is kept in a small tank by the wicked circus master Sam Sly, and she soon longs to return to the freedom of the sea. Will she ever escape? And who will help her along the way?

Listings:
Lakeside Arts (Djanogly Theatre)
9-31 December (Tickets on sale from 13 July)

Waterside Arts
17 to 19 February 2023 (Tickets on sale now)

Credits:
Adapted by Barb Jungr and Samantha Lane
Directed by Samantha Lane
Music and lyrics by Barb Jungr
Set and costume designed by Laura McEwen
Puppets designed and made by Lyndie Wright
Lighting design by Sherry Coenen

Watershed Productions present a Little Angel Theatre and Royal & Derngate, Northampton, production of Julia Donaldson and Lydia Monk’s The Singing Mermaid.

This play is based on the original book The Singing Mermaid. Text copyright © Julia Donaldson 2012. Illustrations copyright © Lydia Monks 2012. Published by Macmillan Children’s Books.

There’s a Rang-Tan in my Bedroom and other stories
A Little Angel Theatre production
Supported by Mother, Greenpeace and Meat Free Monday
Touring from 15 October – 23 December 2022
Running time: approximately 45 minutes
Aimed at ages 5 – 11 years

Imagine waking up to find a turtle bathing in your bathtub, an orangutan bouncing on your bed and a jaguar creeping through your kitchen! But how did they all get here? And why on earth are they all so far from home?

Join us for a magical mix of puppetry and music as we discover more about our animal friends and what we can do to help – because no one is too small to make a difference.

Inspired by two Greenpeace campaign films with voiceovers from Emma Thompson, Doc Brown and Rag ‘n’ Bone Man’. Supported by Greenpeace and Meat Free Monday.

Listings:
Junction, Goole
15 October

The Civic, Barnsley
16 – 17 October

Lakeside Arts, Nottingham
20 – 23 October

Harrow Arts Centre
25 October

Tobacco Factory Theatres
27 – 29 October

Greenwich Theatre
4 – 5 November

Warwick Arts Centre
6 – 7 November

Lyric Hammersmith
12 November

The Gulbenkian, Canterbury
19 November

Cambridge Junction
20 November

Canada Water Theatre
26 November

The Albany
27 November

Alnwick Playhouse
2 – 3 December 

HOME, Manchester
8 – 23 December

Credits:
Written by James Sellick
Directed by Maia Kirkman-Richards
Set and costumes design by Kate Bunce
Lighting design by Sherry Coenen
Puppets designed and made by Maia Kirkman-Richards
Music composed and sound design by Dominic Sales
Creative Producer: Miranda Pitcher
Rang-Tan voiceover by Emma Thompson
Jag-Wah voiceover by Doc Brown
Turtle voiceover by Rag’n’Bone Man

Image credit: Salon Alpin / Passion Pictures
Supported by Mother, Greenpeace and Meat Free Monday

Me…
By Emma Dodd
A Little Angel Theatre production 
14 – 31 December 2022
CAST, Doncaster
Running time 35 minutes
Aimed at ages 2 – 5 years

The world is a very big place, especially for a tiny baby penguin who is just finding his feet. The shimmering stars and glistening snow spin around our little hero, while the mountains tower high and the wind rushes to and fro. And although baby penguin may be small his family know he’s the biggest thing of all.

This early year’s favourite is a lovely and touching story about a parent and their love for their child by much loved children’s author Emma Dodd. 

Credits:
Adapted and directed by Samantha Lane
Set designed and made by Simon Plumridge
Puppets designed and made by Jimmy Grimes
Music composed by Arran Glass
Lighting design by David Duffy

This is a Little Angel Theatre production based on the book by Emma Dodd published by The Templar Company Limited. 

A GREENER LITTLE ANGEL

As an organisation, Little Angel Theatre have been committed to reducing our environmental impact for some time, embedding this within our artistic programme and practicing it in our operations. We were an early adopter of the Theatre Green Book and continue to commit to this baseline going forward. We have several key objectives throughout everything we do – reducing our waste sent to landfill, reducing our carbon emissions caused by travel and touring, reducing our building’s carbon output (achieving carbon neutral site operations by 2030) and impacting wider perceptions and behaviour around the climate crisis. These principles are embedded in this new programme of work, continuing to inspire children and families to use materials they can find in their homes to have fun and be creative, and reinventing classic productions for a new generation.

We are currently fundraising for building changes and improvements which will make material changes to the way that our buildings will operate and support this outcome, and we have also committed to 52 sustainable actions over the next year which will impact on our day-to-day activities.