Imaginate your mind!

Mar 16 2015 | By More

Tickets now on sale for this year’s Imaginate

Public tickets are now on sale for the Imaginate festival of theatre for children and young people, which takes place May 11-17, 2015 at the Traverse and venues around Edinburgh.

This year’s festival features 14 different productions, with something for children of all ages, including Hup, a co-production between early years specialists Starcatchers and the RSNO, for 0-24 months, and Stillmotion’s We Dance, wee groove is for 6 months to 5 years.

The Edibles hit returns. Photo: Eoin Carey

Grinagog’s hit The Edibles returns. Photo: Eoin Carey

Once again an Imaginate Fringe of free events will take place in the Traverse over the final weekend, with pop-up performances aimed at a family audience.

Celebrating the strength of Scottish theatre for young people, six productions are home grown, including two new shows commissioned by Imaginate. Bounce, by Lou Brodie, is a “celebration of bouncing” for 5-8 year-olds and The Lost Things by Tortoise in a Nutshell and Oliver Emanuel is a dark fairy tale for over 9 year-olds.

Grinagog return with their five star hit The Edibles (3-7 years), and Alice Mary Cooper presents Waves, which tells the story of Elizabeth Moncello, unofficial inventor of the butterfly stroke (8+).

Three shows come north from England: Unicorn Theatre’s adaptation of Shakespeare’s Henry the Fifth (8+); Battersea Arts Centre’s Mouth Open, Story Jump Out, introduces the master maker-upper, Polarbear (8+); and Caroline Horton brings back fringe 2012 hit Mess, about anorexia (13+).

From Ireland there’s The Bockety World of Henry and Bucket (4-8); Spain’s El Patio Teatro have By Hand (A Mano) (6+); the Netherlands De Dansers bring Dream City (Droomstad) (6+), the German-Swiss co-production Johannes & Margarethe (6+) tells of what happened when Hansel and Gretel grew up and Danish company Teatret Mollen bring The Gold Digger (10+).

Transformed

This year’s festival marks the final year of Tony Reekie’s directorship, who is leaving the post after 21 years. Over Reekie’s tenure, Imaginate has grown and transformed from a tented weekend in Inverleith Park to its current incarnation as a both an international festival and a year-round catalyst for theatre for young people.

Tony Reekie said: “Our children and young people deserve the very very best, and I’ve strived over the years to bring productions from around that world that will excite and entertain. In my 21st and last programme I hope our offer is as packed full with exciting theatre as always; something to thrill and move everyone, young and old.”

The organisation has grown so important to the year-round health of Scottish theatre for young people that Reekie’s job has now been split. Paul Fitzpatrick, who has spent many years as a producer with Catherine Wheels theatre company, is now Imaginate’s Executive Director. The organisation is currently recruiting a new Festival Director.

Paul Fitzpatrick said, “Imaginate was my inspiration to start working in the performing arts for children and young people. Now, twenty years since I started out, I am thrilled, delighted and very, very proud to be attending the festival in my new role as Imaginate’s new Executive Director. Imaginate was my inspiration and I look forward to finding more ways to inspire even more people of all ages.”

Full details and a downloadable Imaginate Festival brochure can be found on Imaginate’s website at http://www.imaginate.org.uk/festival.

ENDS

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