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A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings
This show is part of House Theatre Network's Take Your Seats campaign. Buy one ticket and get another free by using the promo code TYS23 at the checkout!
Presented by Dan Colley and Riverbank Arts Centre and house theatre network.
In a kitchen, in a theatre, two storytellers and their audience find something remarkable - a very old man with enormous wings. After consulting with the neighbour – who’s an expert on all things magic – the couple decide to shelter him in the chicken coop and feed him with food scraps. A wise woman says he’s an angel. The priest says he’s an imposter. Pilgrims flock to see him.
Inspired by Gabriel García Márquez's darkly comic tale, the show taps into both the best and worst of mankind, wryly examining the human response to those who are weak, dependent, and different.
Using a combination of music, puppetry and live video projection this magic-realist gem is brought to the stage with beautiful, strange, emotional richness.
'Brilliantly, wittily, inventively told' ★★★★ The Wee Review
'The whole thing is an absolute delight' ★★★★★ The Mail on Sunday
'Theatre exists for shows like this… fifty minutes of near theatrical perfection' ★★★★★ The Arts Review
Studio
£16
Take Your Seats
Bring a friend to see great theatre for free! We've teamed up with house theatre network to give you the chance of bringing a friend for free to this event. Simply enter the code TYS23 when prompted at the checkout or call the Box Office on 01628 788997.
T&Cs: There is a limited number of offer tickets available. Offer cannot be transferred to a different event or any amount given as a credit or cash value.
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Miki
Miki, Polar Bear and Penguin live in a very far away place. It’s an icy world where nothing ever grows. One midwinter eve, they make a wish and Miki embarks on a magical adventure in search of a star...
Based on the book by Stephen Mackey, Miki is an inspiring story about friendship, courage and adventure. It features amazing underwater creatures, enchanting music and extraordinary puppetry.
'Young audiences alternate between giggling with delight and total transfixion' ★★★★ The Stage
Suitable for ages 3+ years.
Created by Slot Machine, the company that have previously brought hit shows One Snowy Night and Kipper's Snowy Day to our stage.
Relaxed Performances
The performances on Saturday 2 December at 11am and Wednesday 27 December at 11am are Relaxed. Ideal for families with babies or toddlers and children with SEND. Everyone is welcome to join us for this friendly format.
Signed Performance
The performance on Wednesday 20 December at 2pm will be signed.
Run Time
Miki is 50 minutes long.
Tickets
Courtyard Theatre
£15.50 | £13.50 under 16s
Family & Friends (4 people) £54
Earlybird offer Family & Friends £50 (if booked before Thursday 31 August)
Tickets for children under 18 months
For this show, tickets/seats are not required for children under 18 months who are happy to sit on laps
Norden Farm Youth Theatre (Senior)
Led by Emma Duncan.
Each term we will be focusing on developing the participants confidence and well-being through a series of drama games and activities.
This term the Senior Youth Theatre group are focusing on developing drama skills. They’ll learn a deeper understanding of performance and managing their nerves as well as some more specialised techniques including comedy and physical theatre.
Suitable for school years 7 - 12.
'Norden Farm is my favourite after school club, it always keeps me moving and relaxed. It is a great place to go for drama and within a short time, I have become far more confident and expressive' Timothy, age 7
'We have sent both of our children to Youth Theatre at Norden Farm and have seen dramatic improvements in there ability, confidence, social awareness and expressiveness generally and specifically. The environment is safe and developmental in a broad and exciting sense' Alex - parent
Autumn
Wed 20 Sept - Wed 6 Dec, exc 25 Oct
6.05pm - 7.30pm
Norden Farm Youth Theatre (Junior)
Led by Emma Duncan.
In each session children take part in a series of drama games and activities that develop their confidence as well as teaching them drama skills. These include focus, communication, developing a character and voice projection.
As the weeks go on the group will each have a part with some lines to learn in a small-scale show. They will rehearse as a team and share what they have learnt during the last session, more details to follow on this after half term.
Suitable for school years 2 - 6.
'Norden Farm is my favourite after school club, it always keeps me moving and relaxed. It is a great place to go for drama and within a short time, I have become far more confident and expressive' Timothy, age 7
'We have sent both of our children to Youth Theatre at Norden Farm and have seen dramatic improvements in there ability, confidence, social awareness and expressiveness generally and specifically. The environment is safe and developmental in a broad and exciting sense' Alex - parent
Autumn
Wed 20 Sept - Wed 6 Dec, exc 25 Oct
5pm - 6pm
Community Theatre (Evening)
Led by Neil McCurley
‘Norden Farm’s Community theatre is up and running. The next sessions run from 17 January for ten weeks.
For the first five weeks the sessions will be one offs each on a different area of theatre. You could come to one or all five. You could sign up for one (£12) or all five (£60).
The second five weeks will be a course where you will be working on a play text followed by a performance to the public. The cost of this 5 week course will be £60 (no drop ins).
Sessions are led by Neil McCurley. Neil has spent his adult life working as a theatre practitioner both as a drama teacher and as the Artistic Director of his own theatre company. He has directed over 70 productions.
Week 1 - Spontaneous Improvisation (17 Jan)
Week 2 - Polished Improvisation (24 Jan)
Week 3 - Stage Fighting (31 Jan)
Week 4 - Physical Theatre (7 Feb)
Week 5 - Brecht (21 Feb)
£12 drop in or £60 for all 5 sessions
Weeks 6 - 10: working towards a scripted performance (28 Feb - 27 Mar, exc 14 Feb)
£60 for a 5 week course
Everyone over 18 is welcome – no experience necessary
We also have an evening class, which you can view here.
Community Theatre (Daytime)
Led by Neil McCurley
‘Norden Farm’s Community theatre is up and running. The next sessions run from 11 January for ten weeks.
For the first five weeks the sessions will be one offs each on a different area of theatre. You could come to one or all five. You could sign up for one (£12) or all five (£60).
The second five weeks will be a course where you will be working on a play text followed by a performance to the public. The cost of this 5 week course will be £60 (no drop ins).
Sessions are led by Neil McCurley. Neil has spent his adult life working as a theatre practitioner both as a drama teacher and as the Artistic Director of his own theatre company. He has directed over 70 productions.
Week 1 - Spontaneous Improvisation (11 Jan)
Week 2 - Polished Improvisation (18 Jan)
Week 3 - Stage Fighting (25 Jan)
Week 4 - Physical Theatre (1 Feb)
Week 5 - Brecht (8 Feb)
£12 drop in or £60 for all 5
Weeks 6 - 10: working towards a scripted performance (22 Feb - 28 Mar, exc 7 Mar)
£60 for a 5 week course
Everyone over 18 is welcome – no experience necessary
We also have an evening class, which you can view here.
The Great Big Dinosaur Show
Which dinosaur had teeth as big as a banana? Which dinosaur weighed the same as 10,000 cats? And what could a chicken possibly be doing in The Great Big Dinosaur Show?!
Join poet Simon Mole and musician Gecko for a family show full of poems, raps and songs about all your favourite prehistoric protagonists (and some you haven’t heard of yet!). Expect some spine-tinglingly funny scares and get your groove on to some Jurassic Classics!
The show is inspired by Simon Mole’s 4th book; A First Book of Dinosaurs, illustrated by Matt Hunt, published by Walker Books in September 2023.
Simon Mole is an acclaimed children’s poet (and sleep deprived dad) who has shared stages with Michael Rosen, Kae Tempest and John Hegley. He is a National Poetry Day ambassador, with over ten years of experience using poetry with children and families. Former poet in residence for the National Literacy Trust, Simon works in schools and libraries across the country and overseas. The videos on his YouTube channel are used by hundreds of thousands of children and teachers across the world each year and have been featured on the BBC. A First Book of Dinosaurs will be followed by A First Book of Bugs in 2025. His other books are picture books Kites, I Love My Bike (shortlisted for The Sunday Times Children’s Sports Book of the Year) and I Love My Cat, illustrated by Sam Usher. Simon lives in Berkshire. Simon’s favourite dinosaur is Coelophysis.
Gecko is a Singer, Storyteller and Musician. His playful lyrics cover the big things in life; think iPhones, libraries and Guanabana fruit juice to name but a few. With more than 4 million views and 1 million likes on TikTok in the past year, Gecko’s previous appearances include Glastonbury, Latitude, Bestival, BBC Scotland, BBC London and the Edinburgh Festival Fringe. He has toured the UK, Europe & New Zealand. Gecko’s music has also been featured on BBC Radio 1, BBC Radio 6 Music, Radio X and BBC Introducing. He has twice been awarded Album of the Year by The Morning Star newspaper. In 2020, Gecko released his second album, Climbing Frame, crowd funded by his audience in just 48 hours. He appeared on BAFTA winning TV show Life & Rhymes hosted by Benjamin Zephaniah and has shared bills with the likes of Tim Minchin, Eddie Izzard, Ed Sheeran and Billy Bragg. Gecko’s favourite dinosaur is Deinonychus.
Suitable for ages 4 - 11 years.
Running Time: 50 mins approx, no interval.
Studio
£12 I £10 under 16s
Family and Friends (4 people) £40
Simon Mole's website
@simonmole
Gecko's website
@gecko
@nordenfarm
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