Harbour Tales a magical show for families this Christmas

[R]osehill Theatre is co producing a magical Christmas show with the effervescent local story teller Ian Douglas. The show will run from the Saturday 16 December to Tuesday 19 December at the ReImagined Rosehill. Tickets are priced £12 • u26 £10 • u5 free.

At the top of the world, where the wind blows hard and the winter bites, there stands a little harbour town.

But the people that live there have locked their doors and barred their windows for they have heard that a great storm is on its way.

That night, during the calm before the storm, a small ship arrives with a stranger on board.

Will the stranger find safety in the harbour? Will the people open the doors to their homes?

What ensues is a night of wonder and magic that nobody expected to find.

Harbour Tales is being created by Fools Company, which is led by well known local storyteller Ian Douglas who has been working in the Arts for over 20 years as a performer, storyteller and facilitator appearing in a range of venues all across the country. He is joined on stage by musician Mark Newport, who has played for numerous bands including the distinctive Celtic Rock bands Tryckster and AltarNative and emerging puppeteer Jo Douglas. Visual artist Janice Murray and Helen Morgan of Moragn Murray Arts (formerly of Howgill Family Centre) are designing the set for the production.

The stories for the show are being created by local groups including pupils from Gosforth Primary School and Egremont Youth Partnership who have worked with Ian and Jo Douglas to explore the themes for the show and produce stories to be told in the performance.

Ian Douglas – Fools Company said: “What is unique about Harbour Tales is that it is a show that is written by the community and for the community it is a part of. Jo and I have had the pleasure and privilege to work with a whole range of different schools and community groups to create the material that we have turned into a professional show.

“The workshops have ranged from a couple of hours to a full day and have included character making, drama skills, story writing, puppet making and performance we have been amazed by the depth and quality of the stories that all our participants have created.”

Janice Murray – Morgan Murray Arts said: “Myself and Helen Morgan are delighted to be part of this production. We were thrilled to be asked to
design and make the set and props as this is our first artistic commission as Morgan Murray Arts. Working with the performers while they develop the piece has been really exciting.”