So here we are 9 weeks since we found out that our Grant for the Arts Application to produce a musical puppet show was successful.
Big challenge, new area of work but so far so good…. With the help of many children and their willing grown ups, we have produced the Groove in Roots music video which you can view here…
After some very long-winded hair and make up sessions, the puppets were very glad to get out of the studio and back with the children. They have been talking about their screen debut for weeks and seem to think they look quite good on camera!
A big thank you to the film crew, Nic knowland, Maia Lloyd, Mark Bolwell, Warren Markert, Ellie Behrens, Tom Knowland, Mary McLellan, Fiona Groves-Raine, Anna-Marya Tompa, and all those groovy children of course!
The show is the development of a project delivered in a community setting for several years called Trim Tots healthy lifestyle programme.
The Savour the Flavour Puppet Show is based on the artistic components of TrimTots – a healthy lifestyle programme for preschool children. Trim Town and its characters were invented by a team of experts from UCL Institute of Child Health. The team at Nysa worked in collaboration with UCL to create stage sets, puppets and songs, based on this imaginary world. The show is a natural progression from this successful collaboration fusing the worlds of art and science.
The show opens as Touchy arrives on Planet Munch lacking in energy and in need of balanced nutrition. Touchy arrives through the Positivitree (a tree for inspiration, resolution and solution) where he meets Broccoli (Brocc). The two have alot to learn from each other and our lead characters embark on a musical adventure on the quest for lunch. A cooking lesson at the Golden Delicious Cafe with Aunty Apple ensues after dancing with Chick Pea at the Pulse Dance Studio, swimming with Omega Always the mesmerizing mermaid and gathering fruit with Peachy in the Orchard. Touchy provides much needed creative support for Brocc as he prepares for his big audition and new career move. Finally we relax to the dreamy sounds of Butternut Posh and Ronny Radish at the Five-a-day jazz club before Touchy returns to his Planet.
Showcase performance at the Rudolf Steiner School, Kings Langley, Saturday the 12th of April at 3:30
If you would like to book a ticket priced at £6’s per family (2 adults and up to 3 kids) please email Kerry@nysa.co.uk or follow this link.
https://nysa.co.uk/shop/family-ticket-admits-2-adults-and-up-to-3-children
The show has created a wonderful opportunity for puppeteers to take us further on this journey. The puppeters have created a fantastic universe where the actors/puppeteers merge with the puppets, enhancing the charming characters of our puppet friends in preparation for their stage debut.
At the beginning of the month puppeteers auditioned to help create the show and the rehearsals are in full swing in West Watford. We are very lucky to have had the expertise of several leading professional in the development of this piece with invaluable script advice given by Rachel Warr and further directional support from Ivan Thorley. We are very happy to be working with a team of talented puppeteers, Lucy Western, Grethe Mangala Jensen and Sara Henriques. The puppets are glad to meet them, they have been getting on very well. We are looking forward to welcoming Chris Dobson to the team, joining us fresh from his Australian, Boris and Sergei, tour this Thursday.
Savour the Flavour! – We can almost smell it!