Presents…

The brilliant musical adaptation of the best-selling picture

book by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

VISUAL GUIDE FOR ACCESS PERFORMANCES 2020

ROOM ON THE BROOM PAVILION THEATRE, DUN LAOGHAIRE

VISUAL AND ACCESSIBLE PERFORMANCE GUIDANCE

This guide has been created as a support material for families attending Room on the

Broom. The guide contains information about the show and the characters in order

that you can familiarise yourself with the show and aims to make your theatre

experience as enjoyable and memorable as possible.

Relaxed Performances: Thursday 16 April, 2pm

If you are attending a specific relaxed performance, there will be a ‘chill out’ space provided

at the theatre if you need to leave the auditorium for any reason at any point. You can

leave and re-enter at any point. There will be signs for the space in the theatre when you

arrive, and the theatre staff will be able to assist you.

BSL Performances:

If you are attending a specific BSL performance, there will be a BSL interpreter on stage

during the performance. Tall Stories use integrated sign language, and so our signer is a

trained performer who is rehearsed into the show. She will be dressed in similar costume to

the narrators and will move with the cast around the stage.

We advise patrons to sit in the stalls or the front rows of the dress circle so that they have a

clear, unobstructed view. Please use the access booking line or email address and specify

your requirements to box office so that they can seat you in the most appropriate part of the

theatre.

Audio Described:

We work with Vocal Eyes for our audio described performances. If you are attending a

specific audio described performance of Room on the Broom, you will be provided with a

headset on arrival at the theatre. The audio packs are compatible with most headphone

types, so please feel free to bring your own headphones / earphones if you feel more

comfortable using them.

Please use the access booking line or email address and specify your requirements so that

box office can seat you in the most appropriate part of the theatre.

There will be a touch tour prior to the audio described performance so that you can

familiarise yourselves with the set, costumes, props and hear the actor’s voices. Please

advise the box office when booking if you would like to attend the touch tour. There is no

additional cost for the touch tour.

BOOKING INFORMATION

To book access tickets and/or to discuss access requirements, please contact the theatres

box office.

Email: info@artsdepot.co.uk Tel: 020 8369 5454

About the Show

How long does the show last?

The show is 60 minutes long with no interval

What is the show about?

Room on the Broom is based on the much-loved children’s book by Julia Donaldson &

Axel Scheffler and is adapted for the stage by Tall Stories, known the world over for

their physical, musical and story-telling style of theatre.

The story follows a haphazard witch and her trusty cat on their way to the back of beyond to

fight a dragon!

On route, Witch loses her hat in the wind and they must fly down to fetch it – there they meet

dog who wants to go to the moon. He asks Witch to take him and after some negotiation with

Cat they head back up into the sky.

Then Witch’s bow falls out and so again they must fly to the ground to collect it – only to find

that a large green bird has found it and thinks it’s her own. Bird has been left behind by her

friends who are migrating south for the winter and now she doesn’t know how to get there.

Witch agrees to take her with them and drop her off on the way the dragon’s lair so they set

off again.

Suddenly Witch drops her wand – and immediately they all fly down to find it. It’s been

picked up be a frog who is himself trying to get away from a Princess who thinks he will turn

into a Prince if she kisses him. Frog gives Witch back the wand in return for letting him

escape on the broom with them.

Back in the sky and heading towards the dragon’s lair – the broom just can’t cope with them

all and snaps in two!! Cat, Dog, Bird & Frog fall into a muddy bog, whilst Witch, unaware

that her friends have vanished, flies on to meet the dragon!

Dragon is hungry and when he finds Witch decides she would make a delicious feast. But

just as he is about to eat her, a hideous Mud Monster clambers out of the bog to claim Witch

for itself. Dragon flees whilst Witch discovers that the Mud Monster is in fact all of her friends

covered in mud pretending to be a monster.

Witch casts a spell to fix the broom and the new friends fly off into the night.

Meet the Cast/ Characters

There are 8 characters in the show.

1. Witch

2. Cat

3. Dog

4. Bird

5. Frog

6. Dragon

7. 2 x Narrators.

There are 4 actors in the show. 1 female plays the Witch, another plays Cat and there are 2 men – 1

plays Dog & Frog and the other plays Bird & Dragon. The two men also narrate the story.

The stage adaptation includes all the rhyming text of the book but with some additional words, music,

songs, lots of fun and some audience participation. The characters will speak directly to the audience, so

feel free to sing-a-long and answer back when prompted if you want to.

Dog, Frog & Bird are all large puppets so the actor’s faces are visible and the costumes are

minimal to facilitate the very physical style of the performance. You can see photos of the actors

and puppets below.

Witch is played by an actress named ROSAMUND HINE.

This is ROSAMUND

Hello, I'm Rosamund and I've been working as an actor and musician for the last 10 years. What have been your favourite projects to work on? One of my favourite projects was playing the Farmer in What the Ladybird Heard as I got to travel around the world wearing wellies and a beard. What was your favourite story as a child? My favourite book as a child was Six Dinner Sid as it's all about a cat and lots of food - two of my favourite things!

Here is ROSAMUND dressed as Witch

ROSAMUND is wearing a black, witch’s hat with a large, pink flower on the front. She has long ginger hair tied in a plait down her back. Attached to her plait is a yellow bow.

She wears a red blouse with frills on the front and a cobweb pattern in the middle. She has a black cloak attached with a small brooch on her chest. The cloak is behind her back and reaches to the back of her knees.

She wears a mid-length purple skirt with a pocket on the left side.

She wears white leggings under the skirt and black, Dr. Martin boots.

Cat is played by an actress named EMMA CROWLEY-BENNETT

This is Emma Hello, I ‘m Emma and I can't wait to get back on the broom again and up into the sky! I love playing Cat, she's a lot of fun! What have been your favourite projects to work on? Another project I've worked on and loved is Wild Wilma, a children's show my theatre company, Moth Physical Theatre, and I created. What do you like best about your job? I love that my job takes me all over the UK and sometimes all over the world! Just like being on the magnificent broom.

This is Emma as Cat

EMMA wears a cropped brown and orange top with long sleeves and ruffles to look like fur. She wears a plain with vest underneath. Her hair is tied in two buns either side with orange and brown bows. She wears brown trousers and brown Converse trainers with orange laces.

Dog & Frog are both puppets operated by an actor named JAKE WARING. He also plays a Narrator to tell us the story

This is JAKE Hello, I’m Jake. As an animal lover, what a treat to be playing two animals in this show! What have been your favourite projects to work on? In the past I've played all sorts of different ones, from an elephant, to a giant bird, to my favourite animal, a fox. What possession would you really not want to lose? At home I have a cat called Cecilia, and a Chinese fire-bellied newt called Isaac. They are my most treasured possessions and it brings me great joy to have two little animals who live in my house.

This is JAKE as Narrator

JAKE wears brown corduroy trousers and a grey shirt.

He wears a brown bobbly hat on his head

He wears a dark green gilet over his shirt

He has brown, brogue shoes.

This is JAKE with Dog

Jake takes off the bobble hat and gilet to play Dog. He adds brown braces over his shirt.

DOG is a puppet operated by Jake.

Dog is light brown with a white belly. He has large, floppy ears and a big pink grin.

His voice is light and excitable.

He really wants to go to the moon and practice his howling.

This is JAKE with Frog

Jake takes off the bobble hat and gilet to play Dog. He adds brown braces over his shirt. FROG is a puppet operated by Jake. He is green with a white belly and big, red mouth. He has a southern American accent and is running away from a princess who is trying to turn him into a prince.

Bird is a puppet and is operated by an actor named ALASTAIR CHISHOLM. He also plays a Narrator to tell us the story

This is Alastair Hello, I’m Alastair and I have been dressing up and messing around all over the world for the best part of 20 years. What have been your favourite projects to work on? Bottom in Midsummer Night’s Dream, Watson in Hound of The Baskervilles and The Predators in The Gruffalo as these are classic stories and it’s a privilege to bring these to life. What do you like best about your job? The best thing about my job is getting to visit new places and tell stories with friends. I’m very lucky!

This is ALASTAIR as Narrator

He wears dark green trousers and dark red shoes He wears a red bobble hat on his head He wears a red cardigan over a grey shirt.

This is ALASTAIR with Bird

ALASTAIR takes off the bobble hat and cardigan to be Bird. He has brown braces. BIRD is a bright green puppet with wings that move and a large grey head and beak, Bird has a high pitched voice and wants to fly south for the winter.

ALASTAIR also plays the DRAGON.

DRAGON wears a big, red, all in one suit made out of puffa jacket material with a white belly. He has a large headpiece with a white horn – ALASTAIR’s face is visible through the headpiece. He has small red wings on his back He has big red boots and big red gloves. Dragon has a deep voice with a welsh accent.

Information about the set

The show is set outside on a moonlit night. The first scene takes place in a campsite and

all the actors are preparing to go to bed. They hear a ‘whoosh’ noise and look up to the

sky. As music plays, the actors change costumes on stage to become their characters and

tell the story of Room on the Broom.

When you arrive in the auditorium you will see a large moon with trees around it.

Here is a picture of the set:

There is a floor cloth on the stage with a large blue circle looking like a tree stump.

At the back of the stage is wall with a lit up moon in the middle.

There are 2 large trees either side of the moon. The branches of the trees are made from broomsticks and they are painted a blue / purple colour. A small cauldron hangs from the tree on the right.

The tree on the left has a low branch which rests on the floor with lots of leaves on it so that actors can hide behind it. A broomstick rests against it.

At the front of the stage on the right, there are two small tree stumps which the actor use to sit and stand on. On the left of the stage at the front is a larger tree stump which is also used by the actors to sit and stand on.

Lighting

There are ‘sky’ scenes and ‘ground’ scenes in this show. Whilst in the sky, the lighting

is slightly darker and when on the ground much lighter.

Towards the end of the show, when Witch casts a spell to make a new broom, the lights

will gently flicker and then the stage will go to blackout momentarily before coming back up

to reveal the new broom on stage. There is no strobe lighting or flash photography in

this production.

At the end of the show the stage will go black again to signify the end of the performance.

The lights will come up a couple of seconds later and there is a finale to clap and sing-a-long

to.

If you are attending a specific relaxed performance, we will be keeping some of the

house lights on at a low level for the full show so that the auditorium will not be in total

darkness at any point.

Sounds

The show contains recorded music & live singing. We provide a complimentary CD of the soundtrack for access patrons so that you can familiarise yourself with the music in advance. Please contact Tall Stories info@tallstories.org.uk to request this.

The actors will have microphones to amplify their voices so that they can be heard by everyone in the theatre and because they are singing over music. They will sound louder than usual conversation volume.

The cast will make whooshing noises when the broom takes off. The audience is

encouraged to join in with this and will be prompted in what to do by the cast. Don’t

worry, you don’t have to join in if you don’t want to!

Dragon will roar before his entrance a couple of times and there will be sound effects of

stomping.

For this relaxed performance, we will be turning the overall level of the sound down so that it

is not too loud during the performance.

For specific relaxed performances, we will be turning the overall level of the sound down so that it is not too loud during the performance but if not attending a specific access performance and are concerned about sound levels, please notify the box office at time of booking so that they can seat you in the most appropriate seats that are not too close to speakers etc. You are welcome to use ear defenders if needed – unfortunately we are unable to provide these, but you are welcome to bring your own or any other alternative to enable you to enjoy the performance.

Songs from the show include:

1. A Witch and her Cat

2. First Dog in Space (Dog song)

3. They’ve only gorn and left me on me own… (Bird song)

4. Frog Stomp (Frog Song)

5. Witch & Chips (Dragon Song)

6. Iggety Ziggety

Recommended age

Room on the Broom is recommended for children aged 3+ and their families.

Announcements There will be an announcement just before the show asking for mobile devices to be switched off and advising that photography or filming of any kind is not permitted.

If you need to use a specific electronic device such as an iPad to aid with communication, please inform the staff as you enter the theatre.

Extra Information

If you need any extra information in the lead up to your visit, please contact Tall Stories Theatre Company info@tallstories.org.uk 020 8348 0080