Our Programmer, Lindsay Brown, attended the Imaginate Festival in Edinburgh earlier this month. Here is what she thought of the festival and the shows that she saw:
Imaginate is meant to celebrate performances of theatre for children and young people, but in reality it is a fantastic opportunity for all ages to enjoy sublime theatre. There was a strong international angle this year featuring performances from commonwealth countries. On tour across Scotland last week, Saltbush with their ‘cheering carpet’ allowed children to interact with snakes, busy roads and a starry starry night on an aboriginal walk. Another outstanding Australian production was The Adventures of Alvin Sputnik: Dead Sea Explorer which reduced some of the audience to tears with it’s Wall:E & Up combined storyline, told through animation and puppetry. Watch this space about news on bringing that show to the Highlands.
Other shows which had the young audiences giggling in the aisle were Not Now Bernard, If Only Rosa Could Do Magic, Too Many Penguins, and Up to Speed. Unique dance show Tetris was pitched perfectly for old and young with exceptional movement by the dancers to portray not only Tetris, but Twister and the Rubix cube, ending with nearly the whole audience on stage playing games. A True Tall Tale gave you a chance to rest your weary feet as the audience was invited to lie back on hammocks to hear a tale of Robber Mother and the Christmas Garden which was projected over head. It was gentle and relaxing, like being tucked into bed and read a story.
Imaginate is inspiring, emotional, hilarious and thought provoking. It’s not a festival to miss, ever.
If you would like to attend Imaginate through our Go See fund in 2015, please register your interest now.