Previews, Primary Schools and Performing for All Ages
We’re halfway through our run of previews at the Alma Theatre as I write this blog, and the response we’ve had so far has been utterly overwhelming. We weren’t sure whether our six nights would be able to pull in consistent crowds but so far we’ve been gifted with three wonderful audiences who have been energetic and responsive to the performance, and perceptive in providing useful and acute feedback.
However, the highlight of the week has no doubt been our performance for the children at St. Michael’s on the Mount Primary School. We were extremely nervous as to how an audience on the lower end of our target ages would react to the show, but it was clear just a few minutes into the performance that these fears were entirely unfounded.
In the moment we had to breathe at the end of the show’s first story, we caught a glimpse of the children’s reaction for the first time and found them grinning and bouncing up and down with excitement. The laughter came in different places than it had in our first Alma show, a real testament to Phoebe’s wonderful script’s ability to weave in a range of moments for all ages. The kids particularly loved Terry’s story, with many afterwards citing it as their favourite.
When the children were given the opportunity to feedback afterwards, the response was amazing. Many begged to see more, asking for more stories, more sounds effects and music, and even more physical lifts on stage. Many chimed in with their own creative suggestions, contributing further to the collaborative melting pot that the show has become over the course of the last few weeks.
It was so exciting to see the children interpreting and recognising the show’s message about the acceptance of difference and disability, and about using uniqueness as a strength and a talent rather than a weakness. Looking around the room to see such a wide variety of kids with so many different and varied responses, it became clear exactly how important The Girl with the Hurricane Hands is to an audience of this age, and how much they are dealing with forming their identity in the same way that the show’s heroes are.
As I wrap up writing this blog and prepare to head in to the Alma for another evening’s performance (in a double bill with Balloon Lungs Theatre’s excellent Fish and Chips with Edith), I feel more determined than ever to put all my energy and engagement into this show, and to elicit the same response from our adult audiences as that cheerful glee from our younger audience at St Michael’s on the Mount.
Next week, we head back into the rehearsal room to prep the show for the Fringe, but we’ll be taking everything we’ve learned from our shows this week back in to re-shape and refine an already touching, funny and exciting show. Bring on the next few nights at the Alma!
