Archive > Previous Shows (since 1998)

Icicle Bicycle • We Are Shadows • Igloo Hullabaloo • Locked In • My Friend Snow • Mermaid and the Mirror • Blowback • Grubs, Slugs and Boogie Bugs • cutter • Baa Moo Yellow Dog • When Snow Falls (Integrated BSL version) • Cued Up • When Snow Falls • Gotcha! • Caravan • Yeah, Whatever! • Tuna Girl • Eclipse: A Tale For Winter • Cloudwatching

All our productions are supported by an extensive outreach programme for centres.

Click on the show name, or scroll down to read about all shows. Shows are listed in chronological order.

We Are Shadows
by Fin Kennedy
A play for 13+ years

Moving among the shadows of London's East End, a group of disconnected young people face harsh choices in their lives. A chance encounter reveals the invisible links between them all and how an action can unknowingly cast a shadow on someone else's life plunging their world into darkness.

Through a series of stylised interwoven monologues, We Are Shadows created a snapshot of contemporary urban life. This was an extraordinary hard-hitting coming-of-age drama from award-winning playwright Fin Kennedy, author of the critically acclaimed Locked In and How to Disappear Completely and Never Be Found

This powerful play was developed in direct contact with young people, ensuring authentic language, portraying diverse cross-cultural inner-City life and characters, underscored by a contemporary soundtrack. Click here for a description of this methodology.

"Fin Kennedy's beautifully constructed new play....The versatility of these three young actors is astounding." (The Stage)

Read the full review for this show by clicking here

Cast

Sam/Tom/Charlie - Daniel Broadhurst
Sagar/ Keisha/Nicole - Tracey Green
Leyla/Ashima/Nirupa - Samantha Schefle

Production Team

Writer - Fin Kennedy
Director - Angela Michaels
Designer - Jo Paul
Composer - Ed Thomas
Lighting Designer - Fred Beaufort
Stage Manager - Chris Musgrave
Assistant to Designer - Alice Theobold & Kate Zinkin

We Are Shadows toured venues, schools and community centres nationally from September to October 2007

back to top of page

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Igloo Hullabaloo
by Chris Elwell
A bi-lingual play for 2 - 6 years

Uniquely performed in fully integrated British Sign Language and English, Igloo Hullabaloo is the 3rd in a cycle of hugely popular plays for the very young produced by Half Moon, My Friend Snow and Grubs, Slugs and Boogie Bugs. Developed over a period of time in direct contact with our target contemporary young audiences directly addressing diversity in today's society. Click here for a description of this methodology.

"Half Moon lives up to its aim of celebrating differences and diversity and encouraging inclusion. The message may be missed by absolute tinies but one senses parents will be answering healthy questions for some time after, such was the gravitational pull of this absorbing piece." (The Stage)

Click here to read full reviews for this Igloo Hullabaloo.

Cast

Blue - Charlotte Arrowsmith
Big - Jack Hughes
Bairn - Anna- Maria Nabirye

Production Team

Writer & Director - Chris Elwell
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Composer - Robert Lee
Associate Artist - Jeni Draper
Stage Manager - Neil Kagan
Tour Interpreter - Becky Allen
Rehearsal Interpreters - Alison Pottinger & Kate Furby

Igloo Hullabaloo toured venues, schools, nurseries, childrens centres and community groups nationally from November 2006 to March 2007

back to top of page

Locked In
by Fin Kennedy
A hip hop drama for 13+ years

On the 20th floor of an abandoned East End tower block, Blaze (a Caribbean MC) and Tariq (a Bengali DJ) rip up the airwaves on a leading pirate station. Their last CD was a massive hit and they're all set to hit the big time with their first live set at Exile FM's birthday bash coming up. Then Zahida comes into their lives and cracks begin to appear in their friendship. When a local gangster asks Blaze for a serious favour, suddenly there's a choice to be made that could split their world wide open.

Locked In is a gritty hard-hitting piece written by Fin Kennedy (winner of the Arts Council's John Whiting award 2006). Developed in direct contact with young people, it portrays a diverse cross-cultural inner-city life and characters, underscored by a contemporary hip hop soundtrack. Click here for a description of this methodology. The Locked In script was runner up at The Brian Way Awards 2008.

"Locked In is an example of that rare, beautiful creature: a youth-marketed play that really does make a connection with its audience. The performances from all three actors are gripping and realistic, the set is well-designed, and the story rips along at a cracking pace, ensuring that even the most easily distracted will stay engaged." (Croydon Advertiser)

Click here to read full reviews for Locked In.

Cast

Blaze - Ashley J
Tariq - Kim Lee Hardy
Zahida - Ambur Khan

Production Team

Writer - Fin Kennedy
Director - Angela Michaels
Designer - Yasuko Hasegawa
Composer - DJ Billy Biznizz
Rap Consultant - Chris Chang
Choreographer - Sean Graham
Studio Editor - James Grant
Stage Manager - Chris Musgrave

Locked In toured venues, schools and community centres nationally from September to November 2006

back to top of page

As snow clouds gather around the castle turrets, Jape the Jester dreams of one day being as funny as his famous dad. But how can Jape live up to everyone's expectations? All seems hopeless until the most mysterious and extraordinary new friend appears, as if from nowhere. Together they discover that within every dark cloud there can be a silver lining.

My Friend Snow is an enchanting medieval treasure trove of tunes and tones, textures and tinctures, featuring original music and design inspired by the middle ages - with a contemporary twist for today's audience.

The play is performed in fully integrated British Sign Language.

"Chris Elwell's play for 2 - 7 year-olds features enough tunes, tumbles and fantastical characters to thrill any child, with integrated sign language throughout." (RNID Oneinseven magazine)

Click here to read full reviews for My Friend Snow.

Cast

Wit - Ben Neale
Jape - Hambi Pappas
Snow - David Sands

Production Team

Writer & Director - Chris Elwell
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Composer - Rob Lee
Associate Artist - Jeni Draper
Stage Manager - Anna Kerr
Rehearsal & Production Intrepreter - Kathy Yeoman

My Friend Snow toured venues, schools, nurseries, Surestarts and community groups nationally from November 2005 to March 2006.

back to top of page

Mermaid and the Mirror
3 - 7 years
a Jackson’s Lane Xposure 2005 theatre commission featuring Mandy Colleran

Journey with us to meet Spirallina, a mermaid who has left her solitary underwater world for a life on land. Spirallina loves to meet people and make friends, telling them about her life above and below the waves.

But when she looks in the mirror, Spirallina knows she is different. As she sits and reflects, Spirallina wonders if this is good or bad? Is it OK to be different from everyone else around her - or would it be better if she was just the same? Mermaid and the Mirror takes you to a magical place, where two different worlds embrace, with unexpected outcomes….

Mermaid and the Mirror offers young audiences a unique theatrical experience celebrating and exploring difference, informing emerging opinions about disabilities at an early age.

"A heart warming adventure that encourages audiences to celebrate individuality and embrace difference" (The Guardian)

Cast

Mermaid - Mandy Colleran

Production Team

Director - Sally Cookson
Designer - Jo Paul
Composer - John O’Hara
Dramaturg - Chris Elwell
Associate Artist - Jeni Draper
Stage Manager - Helen Atkinson
Assistant Stage Manager - Will Baker

This production was commissioned by Xposure 2005 based on an original piece Spirallina’s Tale, developed in 2004 as part of Half Moon’s Exchange for Change initiative. Mermaid and the Mirror was part of Half Moon’s commitment to developing groundbreaking work originated by artists from diverse backgrounds.



Mermaid and the Mirror toured venues around London from October to November 2005

back to top of page

Blowback
by Emily Nightingale
13 years+

London in the future, in a world of divided loyalties and dwindling resources. 20 year old Paul, his girlfriend Sufia, and his little sister (a teenage mum) Leah face a tragedy, which forces them to make decisions that will change their lives forever. Blowback is a play about race, love, despondency, accountability and responsibility.

"Alone at last I watch baby Calum sleep….. He wakes and I try to help him walk. I do monkey moves and juggle in the air. He laughs and I look away. I look back. I look around. I shout out his name. My heart begins to speed up and then I see him - on the far side of the roof. His steps are small and wobbly. He falls. My breath is trapped. I run to where he'd been. I hesitate. I look. Thirteen floors beneath me Calum is lying face down. I cannot hear a thing. Who has switched off the sound?"

"Blowback is the kind of play which should get teenagers into the theatre" (Barnet and Enfield Gazette)

Click here to read full reviews for Blowback.

Cast

Paul - Patrick Thornton
Leah - Louise Leone
Suifa - Babita Pohoomull

Production Team

Writer - Emily Nightingale
Director - Mike King
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Composer - Steff Ungerer
Sounds Effects Editor - Sam Daniel
Stage Manager - Anna Kerr

Blowback toured venues, schools and community centres nationally from September to November 2005

back to top of page

Bud likes to play - and the community garden seems a good place to start. But who is hiding in the old shed, among the flowerpots or inside the compost heap? Join Bud and his friends in their magical garden, where as the winter frosts thaw, a whole new world of unexpected opportunities begins to appear.

With original music and design inspired by the 1970s glam period - brought up to date for today’s audience, the play is performed in fully integrated British Sign Language.

"This multi-purpose set offers a spectacular backdrop with a highly original soundtrack accompanying the piece. British Sign language is cleverly woven into the action introducing both hearing and hearing impaired children to the exciting physical and theatrical language" (Disability Now)

Cast

Bud - Andrew Earl
Pod - David Ahmed
Breeze - Pat McMadden

Production Team

Writer & Director - Chris Elwell
Designer Alison - Cartledge
Composer - Rob Lee
Stage Manager - Charlotte Windley

Grubs, Slugs and Boogie Bugs toured venues, nurseries, Surestarts and community groups nationally from February to May 2005.

back to top of page

Cutter is a young black woman fighting. Fighting in the space made by loss - loss of her family, loss of her community, loss of her self-respect and self-control.

This powerful play explores boxing as a discipline rather than a weapon, and the temptation to self-harm when it all becomes too much.

Underscored by a vibrant soundtrack, cutter offers a gritty insight into a young person's struggle for identity.

"the combination of harsh poetic dialogue, an atmospheric soundtrack and great choreography provides thought provoking and engaging theatre" (Time Out - Young Peoples Play of the Year 2004)

Cast

Cutter - Maria Thomas
Granda - Richie Campbell

Production Team

Writer - Sean Burn
Director - Vishni Velada-Billson
Designer - Leslie Travers
Composers - Jim Mortimore & Paul Emilie
Stage Manager - Sarah Royle

cutter toured venues, schools and community centres nationally from September to November 2004.

back to top of page

Where are you when cows bleat like sheep, pigs squeak like mice and cats crow, too? In Ash's world.

Join Ash as he looks in holes, turns corners, and hops - skips - jumps over cracks. A world where things are not what they first seem and when if you squeeze your eyes shut tight enough, you might see a yellow dog.

Baa Moo Yellow Dog explores the playful imagination of a small boy as he tries to bring order to the unexpected and where difference is a good thing. Enter a world where it doesn't matter if sheep moo, if that is what you want, because you are only three.

"Makes the little ones laugh at a world full of surprises" (Time Out)

Cast

Ash 1 - Alastair Straker
Ash 2 - Kae Yukawa

Production Team

Writer & Director - Chris Elwell
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Composer - Rob Lee
Stage Manager - Marc Stimpson

Baa Moo Yellow Dog toured to nurseries, SureStart and community centres nationally from February to April 2004.

back to top of page

T peers out of the window - face pressed up against the glass - and wishes. What if it snowed? T wishes so hard that sometime it hurts. Then one day things start to look just a little bit different....

Follow this adventure of two friends, T and Midge, who explore an enchanting snowy landscape filled with icebergs and polar animals. They are joined on their journey by the amazing spirit, Chill, who expresses their words through British Sign Language and gesture. The tale unfolds through their individual stories told using Chill's language, music, movement and poetic text.

"Magical, moving and fun, 'When Snow Falls' is an inspirational production that is accessible to all audiences" (Time Out Critics Choice, Nov 2003)

Cast

Midge - Shelley Atkinson
Chill - Jeni Draper
T - Matthew Eggleton

Production Team

Writer - Chris Elwell
Director - Daryl Beeton
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Composer - Chas De Swiet
Stage Manager - Nicci Burton

When Snow Falls revival toured to venues and early years settings nationally from October 2003 to January 2004.

back to top of page

Stuck in the belly of the East End, D is ready to escape and music is his way out...

Away from the pressure of always being told what to do, from the adults who think they know best and from Nina, who doesn't really know him at all. Then a near beating and a chance encounter lead to an unlikely new friend, a new music and a whole new world begins to open up.

Fusions of garage, hip-hop and jazz, from LOST DJ Steve Bicknell, create the soundtrack to D's discovery.

"Mobiles, attitude and warm blasts of hip-hop...a sure thing" (Time Out)

Cast

D - Nick Oshikanlu
Joe - Jim Barclay
Nina - Bita Taghavi

Production Team

Writer - Paul Ashton
Director - Chris Elwell
Music - Steve Bicknell
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Stage Manager - Nicci Davies

Cued Up toured to venues, schools, community and youth centres nationally from February to April 2003.

back to top of page

T peers out of the window - face pressed up against the glass - and wishes. What if it snowed? T wishes so hard that sometime it hurts. Then one day things start to look just a little bit different....

T and mischievous side-kick Midge journey through a magical frosty landscape, filled with icicles and snowflakes, polar bears and penguins and but where things are not always what they seem.

Follow their adventure, through fantastical encounters as they find words and the unexpected things they reveal. A poetic tale of friendship and discovery.

"Mesmerizing from the outset, clever and funny" Time Out, Dec 2001

Cast

T - Freema Agyeman
Midge - Daryl Beeton

Production Team

Director and Writer - Chris Elwell
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Composer - Sally J Davies
Stage Manager - Kala Simpson
Assistant Stage Manager - Lizzie Cheeld

When Snow Falls toured to venues and community centres nationally from October 2001 to March 2002.

back to top of page

"This is where things get really, really scary. I looked at the front, scary, I looked round the side, scary, I looked around the back, very very scary."

A spooky house, a lost ball and a brother and sister for whom things are about to take a sinister turn.

Join them and a very strange old man on a mad mission to transform himself back into a child when lightning strikes.

A comic, contemporary Frankenstein for the under 10s, full of fast action, laughs and serious thrills.

"As fine a piece of children's theatre as you are likely to see anywhere." (The Stage)

Cast

Sarah - Shelley Atkinson
Old Man Kensey - Tom Daplyn
Sam - Stephen Leslie

Production Team

Writer - Adrian Page
Director - Chris Elwell
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Composer - Ben Glasstone
Stage Manager - Nicci Davies

Gotcha! toured venues, schools and community centres nationally from October to December 2002.

back to top of page

It's summer, school is out and you're looking forward to hanging out and doing your own thing - it's going to be perfect! Well, it would be until you discover you have to go on the holiday from hell.

Becky has to go on holiday with her Dad, his new girlfriend, and her daughter Tasmin, who's only interested in music, clothes and boys! Becky on the other hand only cares about saving the planet, endangered species and changing the world!

In a cramped caravan, travelling from London to the Norfolk Broads, Becky and Tasmin are going to have to come to terms with the fact that one day they may be sisters, and this isn't what summer holidays are all about. But the journey is full of surprises and before the holiday is out both girls may recognise that although they have different tastes in clothes, scratch beneath the surface and they have much in common.

"Gritty comedy at its best" (Time Out)

Cast

Tasmin - Nicole Davis
Becky - Nina Bhirangi

Production Team

Writer - Sonia Castang
Director - Chris Elwell
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Stage Manager - Damola Danmole

Caravan toured venues, schools and youth settings nationally from April to June 2001.

back to top of page

Football and frozen chips - are those the goal posts which mark out Desmond and Asif? Destined for glory - or forever to remain the target for trainer thieves and parents?

Yeah Whatever! is an anthem for a dislocated new generation asking questions about their cultures, home, school, life and whom will Armani substitute? A witty, subtle tale of the everyday experience of teenagers challenging their own and their parents' assumptions exploring the confusion felt by young people who are really trying to be themselves.

Yeah Whatever! fuses the language of the street with the language of our parents - English, Urdu, Hindi and Sylheti - creating a dynamic theatrical statement for the Millennium.

"The performers present the self-consciousness and bad temper of 14 year olds with flair ... parental pressures encroach on social ones: a perfect foil to the trainer talk and other displays of street cred." (Evening Standard)

Cast

Armani - Nina Bhirangi
Desmond - Glen Hill
Asif - Daniel Hope

Production Team

Writer - Ashmeed Sohoye
Director - Chris Elwell
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Music Courtesy of Asian Dub Foundation
Stage Manager - Louise McDermott

Yeah Whatever! was a co-production with the Palace Theatre Watford and toured venues, schools and youth settings across the London Arts and East of England Arts regions from January to April 2000.

back to top of page

Marlene has moved to the seaside with her Dad. She misses the city and her friends and the life she left behind. But Marlene's problems are just beginning…..

Marlene loves eating tuna fish and much to Dad's frustration will eat nothing else. When her precious doll is washed out to sea Marlene embarks on a sea adventure to rescue the doll.

A fishy tale with fishy consequences! Tuna Girl is an exciting visual and thought provoking play for 3 - 7 year olds, exploring the fears and feelings of a young child who has moved home and is displaced.

"Imaginative and innovative theatre.. underscores a series of challenging, comical situations which young children can easily understand." (Time Out)

"An enchanting and beautifully simple play about using your imagination and accepting change" (The Stage)

Cast

Ellie/Fisherperson - Paula Kingsworth
Dad/Crab - Amit Sharma
Marlene - Natalie Davis

Production Team

Writers - Orlaine McDonald & Will Davies
Director - Chris Elwell
Stage Manager - Patrick Nelson
Designer - Alison Cartledge
Composer - Sally J Davies

Tuna Girl toured venues and schools nationally from October to December 2000.

back to top of page

A play about loss and re-birth, Eclipse: A Tale for Winter, tells the story of Buzz always in the shadow of his sister, Amma and his best mate Dap. He has lots to say and questions to ask, but no one takes him seriously, no-one listens.

Follow Buzz as he takes an imaginary journey through the landscape of his inquisitive imagination, telling stories based on the folklore of the countries that lie in the direct path of the 1999 eclipse… from Cornwall, to the Romanian Mountains, and the ancient lands of Turkey and Persia, ending the adventure in the magical Bay of Bengal.

"Young children are fascinated by the exuberance of the performers and the mysterious stories they act out. These are the lasting impressions that children take home." (Time Out)

Cast

Buzz - Daryl Beeton
Amma - Nicole Davis
Dap - Bindya Solanki

Production Team

Writer & Director - Chris Elwell
Designer - Jonathan Reid
Assisted by Elsa Gomez & Steve White
Composer - Sally J Davis
Stage Manager - Damola Danmole

Eclipse: A Tale for Winter toured venues, schools and community centres nationally from October to December 1999.

back to top of page

Raisha lives in the heart of the city. For the summer holidays, she is sent to the seaside to stay with her Auntie. Alone on the beach, building sandcastles quickly becomes boring. Things start to look more interesting when Raisha makes friends with a beachcomber and a lifeguard. Together, they discover that the natural world has plenty to offer if you only spend time to look up, down, around and beyond……

Cloudwatching is a play about imagination and experimentation. Devised and written in association with a working scientist, the play is inspired by the work of the influential 20th century optical and acoustic scientist C.V. Raman, and Luke Howard, the Victorian meteorologist and philanthropist.

The setting for the production was provided by an exciting and stimulating video installation created by Edwina Ashton. Original music was composed by Kuljit Bhamra, one of the most influential musicians in the British Asian music scene.

"The tenderness of the interactions between the three characters conveys a valuable message to young audiences: Cloudwatching is delightful." (Time Out )

Cast

Maya - Deborah Asante
Raisha - Paven Virk
Ben - Lawrence Barber

Production Team

Co-Writer - Tim Reynolds
Co-Writer/Director - Chris Elwell
Designer - Edwina Ashton
Composer - Kuljit Bhamra
Stage Manager - Mo Home

Cloudwatching toured venues and schools across London from October to December 1998.

back to top of page