Picasso once claimed 'Every child is an artist. The problem is how to remain one when you grow up.'. Children have an enviable reputation for big dreams. So by this reasoning the theatre is the perfect environment for their imaginations to flourish, in comparison to film and television, it leaves the most gaps, a story is called a 'play'.
In this world, chairs turn into people, brushes into foxes and the simple box can become an entire ocean. Yet the other thing about children is, they are curious, they want to know how things work and they don't like to be fooled. If they think that voice is coming from your mouth and not a puppet, they are going to tell you, if your cricket looks like a clothes peg, your going to know, if you put a wig on and pretend to be someone else, they are going to let you who you really are.
These are all facts that puppeteer and performer Steve Tiplady knows all too well. He should do, he's been performing and perfecting his version of Pinocchio for near on two decades and in that time as got working with children down to a fine art. None of the above comments, which were all mentioned, fazed him, he's heard them all and more and knows exactly when to respond and when to ignore. He places he children down on the stage, right in the action engaging with them from the start, without ever talking down to them. So that before they know it, they are wrapped up in both blankets and the story, before they can even whisper 'Hey, that wasn't in the Disney film!'. The pace of the show was spot on, he had enough ad libs to keep the adults happy and the music was just as imaginative (The musician was very good at explaining what all the array of instruments were to my niece afterwards).
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