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.

The next event being organised by Busy Parents’ Network is Birmingham Bookfest. We went last year and had a fantastic time. (We already have our tickets booked for this year.) This year’s Bookfest is even bigger than last and includes authors and illustrators such as Steven Lenton and Nick Sharratt. Events are happening in various venues around Birmingham between 15^th and 25^th March. Check out the website for more details. https://bournvillebookfest.com   It’s also worth following ‘Busy Parents Network’ on Facebook and @BusyParentsNetwork on Twitter to keep up to date with future events.