Little Angel Theatre has announced a summer season as their 60th anniversary year continues. Summer highlights include:
- Nature Elly. A Barmpot Theatre and Lincolnshire One Venues co-production, in association with Little Angel Theatre featuring original music and an array of adorable animal puppets. Written and directed by John Hewer and performed by Jane Crawshaw. Main Theatre, 2 – 31 July 2021. Tickets on sale now.
- Puppet Picnic. Little Angel Theatre’s annual outdoor festival Puppet Picnic will take place in Islington Square throughout August. Visiting productions will include The Puppet Van present The Lost Colour (11 – 12 August), LAStheatre’s The Lion Inside (16 – 17 August) and Garlic Theatre’s The Bag That Went Boo (23 – 24 August). Tickets on sale soon.
- The Wishing Tree. Six magical trees designed by six different artists are the backdrop for this outdoor performance at Islington Square, a highlight of the Puppet Picnic, inspired by a new Joseph Coelho poem and created in collaboration with local school children. Written by Joseph Coelho and directed by Oliver Hymans. 9-29 August. Tickets on sale soon.
- If Not Here…Where? Created with young people at Great Ormond Street, Little Angel’s co-production with GOSH has been adapted into a digital production that will tour hospitals and hospices throughout the summer including St George’s Hospital,London and Darent Valley Hospital, Kent.
- The Smartest Giant in Town is extended until 15 August due to popular demand. This new musical adaptation of Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler’s classic book will continue to enchant audiences throughout the summer. Tickets for the new booking period go on sale today at 10am.
Looking forward to a summer of community, creativity and live theatre (both indoors and out) artistic director Samantha Lane and executive director Peta Swindall said:
‘We are so excited to announce our summer season of work. Both ‘Nature Elly’ and ‘The Wishing Tree’ have been developed in close collaboration with school and community groups which is really important to us. Little Angel Theatre runs a dedicated schools partnership programme and a dedicated community outreach programme in order to break down barriers to engagement and serve the needs of our entire community in a creative way, and we are delighted to be sharing these nature-inspired stories with children and their families. We are especially pleased to be giving away hundreds of tickets for each show to local children and their families who have helped us to develop the work.
Alongside these shows, we are also running puppetry projects with partnership organisations including Solace Women’s Aid, Age UK and Islington Council, as well as working with local food banks to support their work and provide enrichment activities for their beneficiaries.
We are very disheartened to hear about the four week delay to Covid restrictions. As a small charity who relies heavily on box office income, this is a huge blow and will have a big impact, putting increased pressure on our already inflated fundraising targets and future income targets. Not to mention the workload of our staff team. We will continue to be proactive and creative about the many ways in which we can engage with audiences – both digitally and in-person – as we have done throughout the pandemic. The safety of our performers and audiences will always be our top priority, and we very much hope that the new date of 19 July will remain on track.’
