Author Michael Morpurgo will kick off Storystock, the travelling story circus, when it returns to the Bush Theatre from October 28 - 30.

Storystock is a storytelling festival for primary school children aged three to 11 and their families. The festival launched last year at the Bush Theatre in Uxbridge Road, Shepherd's Bush and attracted 2,000 visitors in three days.

This year there will again be three jam-packed days – Michael Morpurgo Day, Big Draw Day and Adventure Day. 10% of Storystock’s tickets will be free to the Bush Theatre’s community outreach programme.

The highlight of Michael Morpurgo Day on October 28 will be a performance by the much loved author himsel,f together with his storytelling ensemble of The Mozart Question, as well as the Olivier Award-winning show I Believe In Unicorns, performed by Daynah Miller.

The Big Draw Day on October 29 will feature Q&A events with author Judith Kerr (The Tiger Who Came To Tea), author and illustrator Lauren Child (Charlie and Lola) and Jeanne Willis (Supercat). There will also be a storytelling and live illustrating event with CBeebies presenter Cerrie Burnell with her new book Snowflakes, Dennis the Menace, Abie Longstaff, animation and illustration workshops.

Adventure Day on October 30 begins with Jan Blake reading her Anansi stories, the Poetry Joe Show Star of Cbeebies Rhyme Rocket, Beast Quest, The Famous Five, the side-splitting Danger is Everywhere show from comedian and author David O’Doherty and illustrator Chris Judge, followed by a performance of The Ramayana Re-told by Daljit Nagra. Be inspired in a Q&A with Jamila Gavin (Coram Boy). Come and immerse yourselves in the Ancient World, dress up as your favourite characters and party on with Notorious Kids’ Storybook Lunch and Tea Parties.

Storystock will also have many more events and activities, including Storymaster Storytime in the Tent, roaming story characters, Dressing-Up in the Attic, Gods & Goddesses treasure hunt, word-searches, pop-up storytelling and bookish quizzes.

Storystock director Claire Gill says: " When we launched Storystock at the Bush last year we could never have predicted how much people would love our story events. We sold out in year one and this year we are bringing even more exciting authors to our audience.

Storystock is sponsored by angels & urchins magazine in partnership with the Bush Theatre and supported by Arts Council England.

Tickets start from £4 to £16 and are for sale via the Bush Theatre box office: call 020 8743 5050 or book online.

Find out more at Storystock or follow the festival on twitter @StoryStockFest

STORYSTOCK MAIN PROGRAMME OF EVENTS

MICHAEL MORPURGO DAY - Tuesday 28th October
I BELIEVE IN UNICORNS
11am and 2.15pm
5years +; £12.50 If you missed this Olivier award-winning one-woman storytelling show with Daynah Miller in the West End catch it here as she brings one of Michael Morpurgo’s best-loved stories to life.
THE MOZART QUESTION
5pm; 7 years +; £15 A Musical storytelling performance. Michael Morpurgo with actress Alison Reid and violinist Daniel Prioro and the Storyteller’s Ensemble bring to life this haunting tale of survival against the odds set against the background of the Holocaust.
WORKSHOPS
all day
4-13 years; £4-£12.50 Storytime with the Storymaster. Aesops fables storytelling and craft, Snow Tales drama workshop, creative writing workshop and a Hare & The Tortoise musical storytelling show.

BIG DRAW DAY Wednesday 29th October
THE SUPERCAT SHOW WITH JEANNE WILLIS
11am; 5-8 years +; £8 Come and see Jeanne for 45 minutes of Supercat silliness and stupendous stories

DENNIS THE MENACE with Steven Butler
2pm; 7 years +; £8 Come for a sneaky peak into the mischievous life of the naughtiest boy in The Beano (and therefore the world’s wildest boy). Learn how to cause mayhem with author Steven Butler
SNOWFLAKES with
CERRIE BURNELL
3.30pm; 3years +; £8 Join CBeebies’ very own storyteller Cerrie as she reads extracts from her book Snowflakes with live illustration from Laura Ellen Anderson.
AN AUDIENCE WITH LAUREN CHILD
5pm; 7 years +; £8 FROM CHARLIE & LOLA TO RUBY REDFORT acclaimed writer and illustrator Lauren Child – creator of Charlie & Lola, Clarice Bean to Ruby Redfort as well as illustrator of over 30 books comes to STORYSTOCK for the first time.
AN AUDIENCE WITH JUDITH KERR
7pm; 7 years+; £12.50 This is a unique event with a special screening of the BBC Imagine programme about Judith’s childhood journey from Berlin to London immortalised in When Hitler Stole Pink Rabbit. Judith will be in conversation with the producer Jill Nicholls with a Q&A after the screening.
WORKSHOPS
all day
4-13 years; £4-£15 Happy Birthday Elmer & Kipper Storytime; Illustration Masterclasses; Animation Studio; Comic Book classes and BIG DRAW activities with favourite picture book characters to meet around the theatre all day

THE ADVENTURE DAY Thursday 30th October
THE POETRY JOE SHOW
9.30am; 3 years +; £8 This is a fun-packed interactive family show incorporating elements of magic lantern, shadow puppetry and live poetry.
THE ANANSI STORY
12.30pm; 7 years +; £8 PERFORMANCE STORYTELLING BY JAN BLAKE - The fabulous Afro-Caribbean storyteller tells some of her favourite stories of Anansi - Spider man.!
DANGER IS EVERYWHERE!
3.45pm; 7 years +; £8 Award-winning comedian David O’Doherty teams up with illustrator Chris Judge to present the brilliantly funny Danger is Everywhere: A Handbook for Avoiding Danger. Side-splitting stuff
GO ADVENTURING WITH THE FAMOUS FIVE SHOW
2.15pm; 7 years+ , £8 Join Julian as he demonstrates some mystery solving techniques and tips. Learn how to question suspects, crack codes and stretch your memory. Bring along your thinking caps and a sense of adventure.
THE RAMAYANA RE-TOLD
5.30pm; 9 years +; £10
Celebrated poet Daljit Nagra has created this beautiful one-man performance of the Asian epic tale will include wild monkey battles, tender technicolour love scenes, brilliant animations and a Bollywood pantomime fizz.
WORKSHOPS
all day
4-13 years; £4-£15 Q&A with Jamila Gavin; Diana Hofmeyr The Magic Bojabi Tree storytelling, Atlas of Adventures workshop, Dressing Up Time in the Attic and Notorious Kids’ Storybook Lunch and tea parties.

 

October 16, 2014