As soon as I saw the Shakespeare’s Stories event advertised,
I booked our tickets. We knew it involved art, stories and cake so we were sure
to enjoy it.
The artist leading the event was James Mayhew, writer and
illustrator of books such as Ella Bella Ballerina. As the show began, James appeared on the
stage in front of us dressed as Shakespeare. He unravelled a scroll and
proceeded to tell us the story of Romeo and Juliet. The clever bit came as he
paused his story telling at various points to produce illustrations. The
children were able to watch as he very quickly transformed a blank canvas into
a picture from the story. It really was fascinating to watch as he painted.
As the audience watched James paint, a brilliant pianist,
Alex Kirk, played accompanying music on a grand piano which sat on the stage. Shakespeare’s
Stories was a unique event and children and adults were captivated by the music
and art. James produced six or seven pictures and although we could see him
live in front of us, a close up of the canvas was helpfully projected onto the
screen.
The event was organised by a not for profit organisation
called Busy Parents’ Network based in Birmingham. We have been to a number of
events organised by them and have always thoroughly enjoyed them. The
organisers are parents themselves and really ‘get’ that families need
affordable, accessible events that are fun for all the family. They believe
that children will respond positively to high quality, relevant literature and
arts.
Busy Parents’ events are also characterised by cake - which
goes down very well in our family. We particularly enjoyed the Malteser
cupcakes at just £1 each. Tickets for the event cost £6.50 each and the show
was held in the Ruddock Performing Arts Centre which is an impressive venue
with the bonus of free parking right outside.
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