Puppets in operetta to win young audiences (From Darlington and Stockton Times)

Puppets in operetta to win young audiences

11:57am Friday 5th February 2010

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THEATRE Hullabaloo, which is based in Darlington, and another award-winning company, Action Transport Theatre, from the North-West of England, have joined forces to produce an operetta for children.

My Mother Told Me Not To Stare will be performed this month at Darlington Arts Centre and at The Crypt in Middlesbrough before going on tour until April.

It is described as “a deliciously dark operetta for curious children and their grownups”, told in a fully operatic and gothic style.

Both theatre companies are committed to raising the bar for children’s and young people’s theatre.

The operetta, a fusion of singing and puppetry, stems from a project that began in May 2008 when Nina Hajiyianni, associate director with both companyies, met the Australian playwright Finegan Kruckemeyer through the Next Generation Project, a venture that brings together leading young theatre makers from across the world to explore opportunities for collaborations.

Kruckemeyer devised the tale and Martyn Harry, a lecturer at Oxford University, then developed the words into music and song.

The cast includes five singers, Andrew Sparling, Eleanor Meynell, Thomas Bates, Eva Karell and Gary Hughes. Each has a different operatic range – soprano, alto, counter tenor, tenor and bass baritone – and will operate the puppets and play clarinet, flute, piano, harp, cello and violin.

Director Nina Hajiyianni said: “Creating a dedicated touring opera for children is an attempt to celebrate the artistry of a classical, musical form which goes beyond what is normally seen in children’s theatre.

“Projects like this attempt to make what is seen as a high art form relevant, alive and accessible for children and the widest possible audience.

“Including puppets and shadow projections reminds us that we are entering the magical world of theatre for children.

We hope we have made an opera, which speaks directly to children, the audience for which it is intended and the adults who are lucky enough to accompany them.”

The co-creator of the initial story, Australian director Daisy Brown, has been commissioned by the Come Out Festival in Adelaide to direct a parallel Australian version.

The companies hope to perform both versions in 2011 in the UK and Australia.

Dates this month are: Darlington Arts Centre, Friday, February 19, at 6.30pm, and Saturday, February 20, at 2.30pm; The Crypt, Middlesbrough Town Hall, February 23.

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