Match in Herefordshire, Fownhope New Memorial Hall

On the 17th January, we headed to Fownhope New Memorial Hall for a 3pm performance of Match. That morning we had a sprinkling of snow which made the drive to Herefordshire quite beautiful (despite the smell of service station food filing the van, such is the touring life!)

When we arrived at The New Memorial Hall, we were welcomed like old friends and before we knew it, tea was in our hand and a basket of treats being shared around.

Fownhope New Memorial Hall is part of Arts Alive - Arts Alive organises about 1000 events a year including music, drama, dance, film, puppetry and storytelling. Arts Alive is dedicated to providing local people in rural areas with the opportunity to choose and promote professional arts events in their local venue and we here at Dot & Ethel are big fans!! Long may the work of Arts Alive continue - hopefully we'll see you all again soon there! 

mac Birmingham: the Match Tour rolls on

We've been at mac Birmingham this weekend, having a fantastic time with the show.

The mac was such a delight. We enjoyed two lovely shows with audiences that varied in ages, some of our audiences were up to 8 years old and everyone seemed to have a great time. Talking to the audience straight after the show always helps us to gage what the children really understand and enjoy and it's such a valuable part of the show for us and for them. It was a great time had by all!

Jade

School workshops for Match at Cheltenham Everyman

Photo Chris Collier

This week we visited 2 schools to deliver workshops on our production of Match. 

The purpose of these workshops is to familiarise the children of the original story of The Little Match Girl and what is different about our production. What were our favourite bits? Who is The Little Match Girl? What do we love about our Grannies?! 

It also allows us to introduce ourselves to the children before they come to see the show. This works wonders as it really gives the children a sense of ownership over the show. It's wonderful to see the little glimmer in their eyes when the children realise you are letting them in on a secret! And you can never underestimate that they are one step ahead of you!!!

Eloise

Christmas run at The Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

This week has been the most days we have performed in a row. It's been a challenging week keeping up our energy but I feel that with every show we find something new to play with. This week there have been a lot of school groups and we notice the difference in the audience immensely. The school audiences can be more challenging and yet sometimes more rewarding. 

The obvious challenge for us is adult to child ratio. The show needs to be very controlled as school audiences get very excited very quickly and can lose their focus in an instant. The children also follow and copy each other if one child shouts out the others feel that this is OK to do so, we have had a few times when they get carried away but between us we know now how to pull them right back in. 

We've also found the last match strike challenging, this is normally my favourite part of the show, however with school groups they are so excited from the first two match strikes with all the fun and games they tend to take a while to settle and we've found they shout when we light the sparkler for the last time 'drop it!.' Their enthusiasm for the show can go a little astray. Today we had two school groups in and they were so different, the first show the children were very rowdy, they had a great time but for us as performers it was hard work. 

The second school group were much younger and were timid and I feel that younger children really appreciate the more gentle aspects of the show whereas a six year old likes to punch balloons a lot more! It's great having lots of different audiences because it really tests you as a performer, it keeps you on your toes and everyday is a new challenge and a delight.

Jade

The life and times of granny's boots

This is my first experience of prop  making for long running tour, and although I was expecting some wear and tear, I didn't expect to have the recurring title of 'official reviver of the red sparkly boots'. 

Granny's red sparkly boots are one of the stars of our show. The original pair in the 2013 Wardrobe Theatre version were in fact a pair that had belonged to my granny, my mum and then me. They had certainly walked a few miles before their glamorous makeover. 

Photo Chris Collier

My original method to glitter up the boots was a bit of a maverick approach. I used red spray paint to cover the boots, and whilst it was still wet, it acted as a glue: I poured the glitter over the drying boots and hey presto, they were done!

Through the year I have been hunting for red elastic of the laces. To no avail. However, I eventually found some sequinned elastic, which although it wouldn't go through the lace holes, the boot also mercifully had metal loops to feed it round instead.

I finished off the boots with a coat of spray varnish, in the hope that this would prolong the glitter's attachment.

taking centre stage at the Wardrobe in 2013

Over the course of the year and the first leg of the tour they have suffered a bit: the soles have come away from the leather and poor Jade and Eloise have had to do a few on-tour quick fixes.

Therefore, as we arrive in Cheltenham at the Everyman Theatre we lay these originals to rest. They have served us ever so well, but it is time for retirement.  

I have bought a new pair; it is rather hard to get a good pair of walking boots within budget, I just hope these ones cut it for the remainder of the tour. Glittering them up hasn't been straightforward: the black faux leather didn't take to the red spray paint very well, so my spray paint glue method - although the glitter clung on happily - the boot stayed black underneath. 

I had to resort to a rather odd, backwards approach after leaving them to dry over night: I mixed some red poster paint with PVA (proper primary school training), filled in the gaps and poured some glitter over.

They're looking OK at the moment and the impact is always multiplied under the stage lights. They are currently drying overnight before our tech tomorrow, fingers crossed the Granny's boots live another day!

The bright lights of Manchester: Match at The Lowry

When you are touring it is easy for venues and cities to roll into each other. As does time, days and weeks and sometimes dare I say shows. However, there are also venues, shows and cities that do the opposite. Places and performances can take your breath away, make you ask important artistic questions and help prompt conversation and debate. In short, times that keep the show alive. The Lowry, Manchester was one of those glowing and enlightening experiences.

I arrived on the Saturday evening after train journeys had stopped and transferred, been cancelled and missed. Tired I step into a swarm of football fans happily sailing on a air of victory. They help me and my case on and off the metro, which is no mean feet for them or me at 35 weeks pregnant. My achy limbs feel invigorated by a place which feels warm and bright and light and alive even amongst the winters darkness. The long travel day ends and I sleep.

When I wake, I felt slightly nervous, not having seen show since earlier in the month I know the piece will have grown and been shaped by the experiences of the past couple of weeks. As a director, it is something which can delight and surprise - it can open doors and frustrate and you never know what it each performance will bring. It has been handed over to the performers to adapt and react, keeping those young people at its heart. Meeting the company at the space, they are completely in control. I feel like I'm a secret agent, watching, spying, whilst they chat happily to the warm and smiling Front of House Team and share anecdotes with the studio technician. 

We gently discuss the skills of adapting to space. This acute rake and requires a more open performance. The numbers attending the first show are large and we talk about framing the story and helping the structure sing. Calmly, quietly everything waits. We do the final 5 minute checks and get ready.

Nipping to the toilet I am stopped in my tracks by a group of 4/5 young girls aged about 11. I move down the stairs and see a scattering of 8-10 year olds and my heart begins to sink. I check a flyer, yes, we say 2-6 year olds. The venue are not at fault at all neither are we. But this is not a piece for an older audience. How do we deal with this? 

I return very swiftly to the auditorium and tell the performers. We obviously can not expect these young people, some young adults, to respond in the same way that early years audience do, having made the show in a gentle non verbal way. I ask the cast to do something very different, they need to verbalise more and to physicalise the games. My role seems altered in a moment - I am no longer sitting back I am facilitating a translation of the show in terms off style and delivery.

The house opens. The group of girls I first saw, come in accompanied by their Mum and sit behind me. More and more over sixes enter the space. My temperature rises. I hear the talk sweets and crisp, how they expected a larger space and whether the lady who said hello to them entering the audience was part of the show, and why does the actress already on stage have odd socks on. Words, words, words, words, words.

The show starts. I seem to be not only watching the show but absorbing the reactions of the girls behind me. At times I feel overcome with fear as some of the stillness is replaced by language, then enlightenment as I hear a chuckle from behind or across the room or a wow, next a pump of adrenaline as I see the show become larger and louder and then it changes the piece settles and begins to lift once more I begin to breathe again. Bubbles come out, balloons are next, sparklers and then the fairy lights... Each cause a reaction for confusion or joy. A playful delighted response one might expect from our target audience is present from the group behind me. 

There is no doubt that the show is without the space and gentleness we have looked to introduce but we have survived a piece which has had me on the edge of my seat. Surprisingly,there are still plenty of glowing young people wishing to meet the performers after the show. Our usual queue of young people develops, glowing, eager to give their thoughts and let us know what they (unprompted by their adults) take from the performance. They giggle and look in boxes, touch props and ask questions. This is not something which is rushed. We allow them this heighten time away from adults they tell us what they think without being asked to construct a narrative. They are light and joyful.

When the auditorium empties we all come together and reflect. It was a challenging experience rather than trying to spread the gentleness up the rake we adapted to a very different audience who has different needs. Soon, the front of house manager returns beaming and telling us what lovely audience feedback we have. I blink. We all look confused. We talk some more and sharpen the verbal clues for the second show.

On the train home, I reflect on how subtle the work is. The challenges of different audiences. How gentleness feels so natural to us and we have no problems with the space we give the audience to make their own connections. But as we move into the adult world, do we like to be told more. Whilst early years are happy to discover and breathe in the moment, somehow as we age we require a different level of performance.

I am reminded of our time as Leverhulme scholars. Is there a theatre of commonality? Or just a different mindset? But what a golden opportunity-  next week we have time to talk about  story, situation, character and play what a gift to us this show gave us. 

Match at Corn Hall, Diss

Diss Corn Hall, what a venue!

It was a real treat to perform MATCH at Diss Corn Hall. This was essentially my ‘home’ gig as I’m a Norfolk lass and my home is only about 15 miles away. I had actually performed at the Corn Hall earlier in the year with The Keepers Daughter, who base themselves at the Corn Hall. The Keepers Daughter do fantastic work in providing local young people an opportunity to engage in creative arts in Norfolk and Suffolk and we were fortunate enough to have some of the young people they work with as ushers for our show. They were all so wonderful and incredibly helpful in helping us get the show in, helping us during the show incase any children wander towards the bubble machine and also, just really engaging with the show. This help and response from the staff at the theatres we tour to makes all the difference to the show and we were so grateful to Angela and all the staff for being so wonderful. 

The constant stream of tea and biscuits certainly gets us through! 

Eloise

Match at The Ace Centre, Nelson and the King George's Hall, Blackburn

The ACE centre in Nelson was such a wonderful space. It felt very much the hub of the community and we had such a welcoming experience performing there. The audience were on the younger side of our advised age range (2-6 years old) and sometimes a bit more vocal than we were used to, however this did not mean the children were not engaged. They really enjoyed the show and one parent said to us that it was the first performance that her child had ever sat through. The children were very interested in the set and we played with various items for quite a while after the performance. 

A younger audience can sometimes be a bit more physical and vocal which sometimes feels hard when performing but we trust that they are with us and I know this helps me as a performer to carry on telling out story even when it seems the children's attention is elsewhere. It was a smaller audience in Nelson and the following day at King George's Hall was quite a contrast. The audience was around 50 members, the children were quite hesitant and shy when coming in to the space. I did my best to make them and their parents feel welcome, gently chatting to the parents and informing them about certain aspects of the show. I try not to approach any child singularly as this tends to be too much. If I busy myself with a prop or fiddle with a part of my costume they generally become interested and I invite them in to talking to me this way. The show was very high energy on this occasion and I think that it was because the audience were very quiet in the first half of the show, the normal giggles weren't happening so we seemed to heighten our performance and suddenly they were with us! As the show reached the match strikes the children were exploring the space and becoming very vocal. We had a few health and safety warnings from one child when lighting the matches 'You can't light sparklers inside, you have to go out! It's dangerous.' We gave him a cheeky grin to let him know it was OK and we were safe. Eloise also went and spoke to him after the show to make sure he was satisfied, she told him how the set was flame proof and these sparklers were specifically made to be used inside. After every show we always get a few teary parents chatting to us about the original story of the little match girl.





I think one of my favourite aspects of the show is the memories that the little girl has of her grandma because everyone has memories. Whether they be of loved

ones who have passed, or fond times, a lot of this show is about looking back at really great times and I think that is quite special.





Next week we are in Manchester and I'm very much looking forward to settling in to our run in Cheltenham at Christmas time!



Jade

Another lovely review for our show 'Match' from Sarah Dosomah from female arts who came to see it at the Sherman, Cardiff. This was the show's first week and it has gone from strength to strength since then. We are next at Corn Hall, Diss

Here is Sarah's review below in full.

The Dot & Ethel theatre company brought a touch of magic to my children’s half term with their latest production of ‘Match’. Based on Christian-Anderson’s ‘Little match girl’ this sweet, enchanting story manages some of life’s most difficult realities with a lightness of touch that is pitched just right for its younger audience. I took my 4 year old Benjamin along to see what he thought of this show. When asked about his favourite part Benjamin replies (in the style of a true 4 year old) “The bit where she got the paper stuck to her face…” I remember the moment vividly and the sea of giggles that rolled out across the floor. To enlighten the rest of you, this was a delightful scene in which the two children, played by actresses Eloise Secker and Jade Berks, playfully chase paper that dances in the winter wind. The painful reality, as many of us know, is that the poverty stricken match girl will not survive the winter. Heidi Vaughn’s adaptation however, transcends the grief of Anderson’s original story and there is no heaviness laid upon this young audience. The austerity of the children’s lives is lit up by their imagination and the warmth of each burning match signifies a creative journey. It was heartening to see the resilience of the children and the solace they find in their imaginative play. The two handed performers were beautifully animated and we were all fascinated by how they used their voices to create the sounds of their environment most specifically the wind. 

The play was altogether rich in sensory qualities- quirky sounds, bubbles, balloons, sparklers, puppets and glowing lights. It was beautiful. Perhaps more importantly it held the attention of the young people for the entire 60 minutes. My baby (who is now 19 months) was even gripped for around 90% of the showing and that’s impressive (far more than ‘cbeebies’ could ever do). Grown-ups will also enjoy ‘Match’. My favourite moment was a scene in which the children remember their Grandma. With great poignancy the children dance to a Nat King Cole song which, is indeed ‘unforgettable’.

I wondered whether the warmth and sweetness of ‘Match’ could have been tempered with a little more coolness just to communicate the story line more clearly. However, given that ‘Match’ is for such a young audience I do believe they have done extremely well. Benjamin had a ‘melt down’ when his little brother threw his balloon over the balcony and also when he was too far away from the front to catch any bubbles. (Such matters are devastating for a four year old). Evidently ‘Match’ was so special for Ben that he wanted to physically take something away from the experience. Perhaps this is something the production team could think about further. When asked ‘How many stars do we give this production?’ Benjy gave a resounding ‘FIVE!!!’ And I’m certainly not going to argue with that. 

(c) Sarah Dosomah

Sherman Theatre, Cardiff,

October 29th 2014

Directed by Heidi Vaughn

@DotandEthel

Performer Jade's blog on the week that was

Canada Water Culture Space, what a building!

Canada Southwark culture centre was a lovely gig. The space itself was very intimate and inviting. This was also our first opportunity to perform for a smaller audience as our 1pm show had a handful of children present which was a big contrast to the 40 children at 3pm.

The great thing about 'Match' is the show can shrink and grow with its audience which I really like. The 1pm show was so different compared to the 3pm. The match strikes were very gentle as we could individually play with a few children whereas in the later show the children interact with each other and the bubbles and balloons more than with us as performers. You do engage with some children but you don't have the opportunity to play with each audience member individually. So for us a small audience is not a bad thing at all it's just a different experience which I really enjoyed.

Reviews for Match at The Sherman Theatre, Cardiff

We are starting to receive reviews for our tour of Match. Our first week was a week of discovery for us in what worked and what needed tweaking. Therefore we were thrilled when this came in:

We had a lovely review from blogger and mum Lina, aka Cookies and Cwtches, we'd love to hear what you think about our show. Please tweet us on @DotandEthel or using the #match hashtag.

The Match Tour has begun!

The beautiful Sherman Theatre, Cardiff

Monday saw the start of the MATCH tour and what an absolute treat it was to start the MATCH tour at the Sherman Theatre in Cardiff. The theatre is an amazing space and the whole team were so welcoming.The Sherman have a brilliant programme called Sherman 5 which is a project co-ordinated by Guy O’Donnell designed to give people who have never attended a performance at a theatre chance to do so. So on Monday, we opened MATCH to an audience of over 150 people who had never been to theatre before. And what an incredible experience it was! Families all together sharing the experience and children whose responses were so open and honest - it was an absolute joy! 

But of course, these responses are always the unknown element of making children's theatre and it is something you can never really prepare for because as I’m sure we all know, what comes with the joy of their openness and honesty is the unexpected!

So Monday very quickly highlighted to us what really worked in the show and what the children responded to and what perhaps we needed to look at and rework which is a great thing as Heidi and Harriet have always been very clear that they make work for the audience.

And what also became very clear (and the sweaty costume will prove!) is that MATCH is a show that will never be the same on any performance and Jade and I will always be working our little match girl socks off to ensure that we can be as open and honest with our performances and the children are with their responses. 

Eloise, performer

Match Company Biographies

We'd like you to meet the talented ladies and gentlemen of the 'Match' company

Heidi Vaughan - Director and Co-Director of Dot and Ethel

Over the last 15 years Heidi has worked as a director, senior manager, head of department and workshop leader- venues include; the Egg, Bath, Nuffield Theatre Southampton, Oxford School of Drama, Bristol Old Vic, The Sherman Cardiff, Bristol Old Vic Theatre School, The Point, Eastleigh (Director of Young People's Theatre) and Oxford Playhouse (Head of Learning). She is delighted to be an Associate Artist of the egg.

Heidi has worked on an international level delivering workshops and community projects for children and young people in the near and mid East, Ireland, Spain and Italy with the British Council and the inspiring Druid Theatre Company.

www.heidivaughan.co.uk

Eloise Secker - Performer

TRAINING: Ba Hons Actor Musicianship (Rose Bruford)

Recent credits include:

THEATRE: Enduring Song (Southwark Playhouse) The Events (Young Vic) Splosh! (Salisbury Playhouse & UK Tour), Eva (Hightide), Secrets of the Sea (Latitude Festival)

P1XX1E (Rich Mix), Ovid's Metamorphoses (Ed fringe and World Tour) 

RADIO: Murder by Proxy (BBC Radio 4), Gift (BBC Radio 4), Chain Gang (BBC Radio 7) 

CONCERT: Snap Shot Songs (Soloist, Barbican), Sondheim's 80th Prom (Royal Albert Hall)

Jade Berks - Performer

Jade graduated from Bath Spa University with a Drama degree in 2012. She went on to play Evelyn in The Shape of Things and Adela in The House of Bernada Alba working with the Engage program at Theatre Royal Bath. Since then she has enjoyed exploring all aspects of theatre from writing to acting. Jade is delighted to be apart of Match on her first national tour.

Tom Richmond - Technician

Tom graduated from the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School in 2004. Since then he has worked in a wide variety of roles, providing technical support and wizardry to performances of all kinds. Although primarily a lighting designer, Tom has also designed and built sets, worked with video and sound, and rigged aerial equipment for circus. He has enjoyed periods of employment at the Criterion Theatre and the Bristol Old Vic, and has done venue work at amongst others, Circomedia Church, Tobacco Factory Theatres and Theatre Royal Bath. He has toured extensively both in the UK and abroad with companies such as Pickled Image, Gonzo Moose, Caravan Stage and Tessa Bide. Tom also co-produces Apocalyptic Circus, and plays the role of performing technician in their current work “Push Me, Pull You!”. 

www.ApocalypticCircus.com 

Anna Croxson - Movement Director

Anna studied acting, theatre and dance through BA (hons) and dance and movement through Masters degree (M.A)

Anna's work has been performed at Bristol Old Vic Studio, The Rondo Theatre, Bristol Old Vic Basement,  Bierkeller Theatre, The Cube Cinema, Royal West of England Academy, Bike Shed Theatre, Bath Institute of Contemporary and Interdisciplinary Arts, Tobacco Factory theatre Bristol, Exeter Bike Shed, Edinburgh Fringe (C Aquila) , amongst many others.  Alongside her professional work, Anna developed her practice whilst working as a Qualitative Researcher investigating collaborative dialogues between live performance and film projection. Most recently, Anna has worked as Movement Director and Choreographer for Idiot Child Theatre Company, Shanty Theatre Company, Myrtle Theatre Company,  Dot and Ethel Theatre, Living Spit Theatre,  Anna is currently rehearsing with her own company  'Moon Jar theatre' for a new show which will be touring Independent  bookshops in 2015. Anna is currently completing her PhD in movement and theatre. 

Seamas Carey - Musical Director and Composer

Seamas Carey is a performer, composer and puppeteer based in Bristol. His stage career began at the age of 15, playing accordion, piano, double bass, banjo and various other instruments for a number of different bands and theatre projects.
He has toured both the UK and Europe extensively, working with Wild Works, Horse & Bamboo, Traveling Light Theatre, Bash Street Theatre, Shanty Theatre, Kneehigh Theatre, C-Scape Dance, Owdyado Theatre, English Heritage, Radjel and The Eden Project. During Christmas 2013, he played the part of Moomintroll, in Horse & Bamboo/The Egg’s production of Moominland Midwinter – the first ever UK stage adaption of The Moomins.
He is a founder member and joint artistic director of Bristol based theatre company, Silly Boys, of whom he performs, composes and co-writes with.
Seamas also facilitates workshops and lectures for primary, secondary and A – level students. His focus is on music for silent film, theatre soundtrack, performing and puppetry. 

seamascareymusic

Seamas Carey Music

www.sillyboys.co.uk

Corina Bona - Puppetry Director

Corina Bona is a Bristol Based Puppeteer, maker and facilitator. 

Her seven years of experience have lead her to discover a great variety of puppetry from bunraku, shadow to object puppetry.

She loves to collaborate and work with other companies to bring puppetry into new and devised work, broadening its audience.

Having recently completed her one woman show, "Detective O", she is creating shadow puppets for a Stuart Bryson Musical fundraiser. She is also Working on the Wardrobe Theatre's current Christmas show "Muppets Die Hard" and most excitingly she is starting her family! 

Corina  is regularly involved with the Smoking Puppet Cabaret, Puppet Place and The Puppet Centre trust to promote and support fledging and experienced puppeteers. Through her work in education she loves to see people of all ages discover what they can do with puppetry. For more information about Corina please check out http://corinabona.com

http://corinabona.com/

http://www.thesmokingpuppet.com/

http://www.puppetplace.org/

http://www.puppetcentre.org.uk/

Harriet de Winton - Designer and Co-Director of Dot and Ethel

Harriet is a designer, stylist and illustrator. She trained at Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.

She has been resident designer for Shakespeare at the Tobacco Factory for 6 seasons. Shows include: As you Like It (UK Tour); Arcadia; Richard III; Two Gentlemen of Verona (UK Tour); King Lear; The Cherry Orchard ; Richard II; The Comedy of Errors; A Midsummer Night’s Dream; The Tempest; Julius Caesar; Antony and Cleopatra; Uncle Vanya (Co-production with Bristol Old Vic); 

Other Theatre includes: Fields Unsown (Attic Theatre), Mmm Hmm (UK Tour),  Fat Man, The Collision of Things (Little Mighty), Jigsy (UK Tour); The Adventures of Pinocchio (Tobacco Factory); Vanity Fair (Bristol Old Vic Studio); The Comedy of Errors; The Laramie Project; The House of Bernarda Alba, The Winter’s Tale (The Egg, Theatre Royal Bath); The Canterbury Tales; Titus Andronicus (Nuffield Theatre).

Harriet worked as Creative Editor for Cloth Magazine for 5 years, styling nearly every shoot published over that time for the magazine.  She has gone on to style for various designers and publications. She is represented by Gingersnap Models.

Whilst at Cloth Magazine, Harriet also learned her craft as an illustrator and has gone on to illustrate for numerous books, magazines and websites.

www.harrietdewinton.com

www.fixuplookchic.blogspot.co.uk

Mae Voogd: Animator

Mae is a designer, puppet maker and animator who studied at the Bristol School of Animation, graduating with a First.

She is the resident designer for Bristol based theatre company, Silly Boys. 

She has worked alongside Chris Pirie (Green Ginger) making props and puppets for Sally Cooksen’s Peter Pan as well as working alongside children’s theatre Dot & Ethel Co, creating animations for their Christmas production of the Little Match Girl aimed at under 8’s. 

She has since gone on to work with Sarah Wright and Lyndie Wright MBE (Little Angel Theatre) as a puppet maker for Kneehigh Theatre’s most recent show, Dead Dog in a Suitcase and Other Love Songs.

Her short film 'Carousel' was selected for the Bristol Festival of Puppetry and Encounters Festival 2013.

Interview with Heidi on Match

Day 7 Rehearsals.

Our Heidi, talking a little bit about Match at the Sherman!

Tom's day two of Match Rehearsals at the Sherman

Day two (for the technician) in rehearsals with Dot and Ethel…There was no van to unload this morning (nothing better than a good van unload to set you up for the day), but managing fine regardless. Qlab file coming on, projections looking good, to do list pretty clear! Overhead projector is making a horrible noise, which I can’t fix, but mended the dolls house with no problem! Enjoying watching the performers playing with bubbles and balloons; we definitely have all the makings of a good show.

Match Rehearsal Day 6 by Heidi Vaughan

Day 6 

the 'street'

Here we are a week into our remount. Rehearsals have inevitably stepped up and we continue to throw new ideas into the mix in order to challenge the specifics of the show.

As director, I feel a little like our character of Granny, an explorer,  preparing to start on a journey. Questioning what we should take with us and what we leave behind.

What is overwhelmingly clear is that Dot and Ethel has really developed over the last year and our recent conclusion of a years reflective practice with our Leverhulme Arts Scholarship at the egg, has flooded, hyper textually, across all our projects and made us really think about the specificity of our work.

How does Match now it sit amongst the sector?
What do we both artistically and as a company want to move forward with and what are we happy to loose?
What makes this piece a show for now?

So as we leap onward I am determined to keep the spirit of the explorer alive.

Match UK Tour Announcement. 2014 leg of the tour

photo Chris Collier

Dot and Ethel is delighted to announce its first national tour during Autumn/Winter 2014 - 2015, generously supported by the Arts Council England Grants for the Arts.

Bristol’s freshest Theatre Company will tour Match (inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Match Girl), following a hugely successful run in Bristol last year.

Our tour runs from October 2014 to February 2015. We are announcing the 2014 dates today. The 2015 leg includes venues such as The egg, Bath, Bikeshed Theatre Exeter to name but a few.

MATCH dates:

2014 leg of the tour

Sherman Theatre, Cardiff                               27-29 October

Salisbury Playhouse, Salisbury 31 October

Canada Southwark Culture Space, London 1 November

The Albany, Deptford                                    9 November

Corn Hall, Diss                                               15 November

The Lowry, Salford                                        30 November

Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham                   5-24 December

“I am thrilled that Dot & Ethel will be visiting the Albany with Match, as part of our magical Families programme that takes place each Sunday, it promises to be a delightful and charming adventure for all the family”

Gavin Barlow CEO & Artistic Director, The Albany

“We’re thrilled that Match is playing at the Everyman Theatre over Christmas.  We have a reputation for providing high quality children’s shows at this special time of year, and have no doubt that Match will enhance that reputation.”

Paul Milton, Artistic Director, Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham

When a little girl leaves her home one day in search of her own adventure and pursuit of her Granny, she opens the door to voyages, challenges, visions and an unexpected new beginning. 

Based on Hans Christian Andersen’s much loved classic, The Little Match Girl, Match is the enchanting story of a young child’s hopes and dreams; simple pleasures and losses.

Join us for a heart-warming, magical and life affirming tale for all the family. 

Experience beautifully inventive storytelling, puppetry, song and live music in this spellbinding production. Incredibly uplifting and raw, playful and tender, it is pure delight for younger audiences.

Suitable for ages 2 – 6 and their friends and families.

Running time: 50 minutes, no interval

Cast:

Jade Berks

Jade graduated from Bath Spa University with a Drama degree in 2012.

She went on to play Evelyn in The Shape of Things and Adela in The

House of Bernada Alba working with the Engage program at Theatre Royal

Bath. Since then she has enjoyed exploring all aspects of theatre from

writing to acting. Jade is delighted to be apart of Match on her first

national tour.

Eloise Secker

TRAINING: Ba Hons Actor Musicianship (Rose Bruford)

Recent credits include:

THEATRE: Enduring Song (Southwark Playhouse) The Events (Young Vic) Splosh! (Salisbury Playhouse & UK Tour), Eva (Hightide), Secrets of the Sea (Latitude Festival)

P1XX1E (Rich Mix), Ovid's Metamorphoses (Ed fringe and World Tour) 

RADIO: Murder by Proxy (BBC Radio 4), Gift (BBC Radio 4), Chain Gang (BBC Radio 7) 

CONCERT: Snap Shot Songs (Soloist, Barbican), Sondheim's 80th Prom (Royal Albert Hall)

Production

Director Heidi Vaughan

Designer Harriet de Winton

Movement Director Anna Croxson

Composer Seamus Carey

Puppetry Director Corina Ollett

Devised by the company

Press Reviews

of The Little Match Girl (now MATCH) December 2013

“An all-encompassing sensory experience for little ones (…) a truly original, heart-warming family show.”

Bristol Post

“Simply and cleverly told, that even the youngest of the audience were left spellbound by the magic.”

www.littlegreenshedblog.co.uk  17/12/13

http://www.littlegreenshedblog.co.uk/search?q=little+match+girl

“The sweetness, the vibrancy and the adventure of Dot and Ethel’s production will sweep you away.”

wsmumstreet.wordpress.com 11/12/13

wsmumstreet.wordpress.com/2013/12/11/dotandethel/

“This was a treat for young theatre-goers and an example of the power of imagination and memory.”

Bristol Culture

http://www.bristol-culture.com/2013/12/14/review-the-little-match-girl-wardrobe-theatre/

Match UK Tour 2014 - 2015 Booking Information

27,28  (2 shows a day 11am and 2pm) 29 October (11am, 2pm, 5pm)

Cardiff

Sherman Theatre.

029 2064 6900

www.shermancymru.co.uk

31 October (1 show 1am)

Salisbury  

Salisbury Playhouse

01722 320117

www.salisburyplayhouse.com

1 November  

London

Canada Southwark (2 shows 1pm, 3pm)

020 7525 2931S

9 November

The Albany, London (2 shows 1pm, 3pm)

020 8692 4446

www.thealbany.org.uk

15 November 

Norfolk

Corn Hall, Diss (1 show 2pm)

01379 652241

www.disscornhall.co.uk

30 November  

Salford

The Lowry,  (2 shows 1pm and 3pm)

0843 208 6000

www.thelowry.com

5 – 24 December  

5th- 11:30am

6th- 10 am, 11:30 am

7th- 2pm, 4pm

10th- 10 am, 11:30 am

11th- 10 am

12th - 10 am, 11;30 am

16th- 10 am, 11;30 am

17th- 10 am, 11:30 am

18th- 10 am

19th- 10 am,11:30 am

20th- 11:30 am

22nd- 10 am, 11:30 am, 1:45pm

23rd- 10am,11:30 am, 1:45pm

24th- 10 am, 11:30 am, 1:45pm

Cheltenham

Cheltenham Everyman

01242 572573

www.everymantheatre.org.uk

Social Media/Youtube and Website

Match Trailer

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Nrnj1JkY5U

Twitter: @DotandEthel

Facebook: www.facebook.com/dotandethel

Supporters:

Grant support from Arts Council England: Grants for the Arts.

www.artscouncil.org.uk/