JOIN US THIS CHRISTMAS IN OUR NEW HOME
For just 12 performances only, we will be reviving Emma Rice's production of The Little Matchgirl & Happier Tales in our new home in Frome, Somerset. Our new adventure can seat only 60 people a night, so we urge you to book quickly.
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As the Little Matchgirl struggles to survive, she strikes her precious matches to keep warm. Each match conjures a new story. We hold her hand as she tumbles down this rabbit hole of folk tales. Inspired by the beautiful and poignant Hans Christian Andersen tale, and interweaving it with Andersen’s other classic tales, The Princess and the Pea and The Emperor’s New Clothes, The Little Matchgirl and Happier Tales reveals a spellbinding world of magic and mystery.
Steeped in the metaphor and meaning that run through Andersen’s enduring stories, this will be an event to delight, transport, move and surprise. For adults and brave children alike, expect music, puppetry, dark magic... and perhaps some modern truths that we all might rather remain hidden.
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“Theatre to snuggle down into on a frosty night.” The Guardian
★ ★ ★ ★
“An exquisite spell of a show... irreverent and funny.” The Telegraph
★ ★ ★ ★
“A hilarious and heart-breaking collection of fairy tales.” Time Out
Directed by Emma Rice. Based on the original production written and co-adapted by Joel Horwood and Emma Rice. Music by Ian Ross.
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The Little Matchgirl and Other Happier Tales was originally produced by and performed at Shakespeare’s Globe, London, and Bristol Old Vic.
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BLUE BEARD - COMING FEB 24
Blue Beard the Magician makes hearts flutter and pupils dilate. With a wink, a stroke and a flick - things just seem to vanish. Cards, coins, scarves… and women.
Puff! Gone. Without a trace.
He meets his match when his young bride discovers his dark and murderous secret. She summons all her rage, all her smarts and all her sisters to bring the curtain down on his tyrannous reign.
Emma Rice brings her own brand of theatrical wonder to this most beguiling and disturbing of tales. With her signature sleight of hand, Blue Beard explores curiosity and consent, violence and vengeance - all through an intoxicating lens of music, wit and tender truth.
When someone tells you not to look, OPEN THE BLOODY DOOR!
Hello,
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Wise Children is a theatre company created and led by multi-award-winning director Emma Rice. We make ground-breaking work with exceptional artists and tour it across the UK and internationally. We run a unique professional development programme, The School for Wise Children, training a new and more diverse generation of theatre practitioners. We’re also working to transform touring theatre in the UK, challenging outmoded models and discovering the creative spaces of the future.
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