Eleanor Farjeon |
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Daisy Ashford |
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Both of the theatrical productions below were "live literature" productions, in that the words of the authors were lifted exactly as written on the page, including all of Daisy Ashford's and Eleanor Farjeons's narrative commentary.
2006
Elsie Piddock Skips in her Sleep
Summer 2006
In association with The Ashden Charitable Trust, East Sussex Arts Partnership and Farnham Maltings, Paddock Productions presented an outdoor theatre version of Eleanor Farjeon’s classic children’s book,
Elsie Piddock Skips in Her Sleep, to family audiences in rural communities. The performances took place on village greens, in village festivals, and on school playing fields throughout East Sussex.
In collaboration with English Nature, we performed
the play on top of Mount Caburn, where the story
is set.
This blustery and shower-ridden Saturday afternoon in July saw over 250 people in family
groups get out in the spectacular Sussex countryside and hike up the Mount. They were treated to not only the performance, but also nature and conservation displays, nature walks led by very knowledgeable
and experienced guides, and a picnic lunch in a
large marquee. It was a unique event, and a great profile-raiser for the conservation work of English
Nature and the Paddock. Given that the Elsie Piddock story is in large measure set upon Caburn, it was a magical setting for the performance, and one we will never forget, with the Downs providing and majestic backdrop.
In total, the piece played 21 venues, to an estimated audience in the region of 2600 people. Venues ranged from school playing fields to castles, from open-air arenas to cricket pitches and public parks. We sold in excess of 200 skipping ropes to children who, inspired
by the story and characters, tried their hands at skipping, participating in skipping workshops and demonstrations led by company members.
2005 and 2004
The Young Visiters
Autumn 2004 and Autumn 2005
In
1890 nine year old Daisy Ashford was living in
Lewes and working on her fourth novel.
In 2004,
Paddock Productions presented the first-ever live-literature production of her masterpiece, The Young Visiters, in which the book was presented word-for-word, with every delicious bit of the young prodigy’s amusing narrative voice intact.
Directed by actor Jonathan Cullen, this hilarious,
fast-moving show was first designed to be performed
in people’s private houses, and proved such a hit
that it moved on to sell out a run of Xmas shows in
a commercial venue and subsequently toured the UK, ending up in a performance at the House of Lords!
The fast-moving show involves four actors, one
folding screen, a pianist, and many, many hats,
and tells the heart-felt tale of Mr Salteena’s quest
to become a gentleman and win Ethel Monticue's love
– one of the funniest and most charming stories ever written by a nine year old.
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2004
Write Next Door
Autumn 2004 and Autumn 2005
In 2004, The Paddock launched its first community project, Write Next Door. The project was twofold, involving seventeen children from the local community who took part in a series of writing workshops and one-to one mentoring sessions with a published author, as well as a theatrical production of nine year-old Daisy Ashford’s 1890 novel, The Young Visiters.
Throughout the period, each child worked on completing a novella, which was then type-set and bound in a cover designed and constructed by the author. A public book launch took place in November 2004, in which the children read passages from their books and local children’s author, Miriam Moss, presented a letter of feedback to each child. In our evaluation, many of the parents reported a huge leap in confidence for these children, beyond what they themselves had imagined possible.
The production of The Young Visiters – directed, designed and performed by professional artists in the community – was performed in 12 private houses – open to the public – at full capacity, as well as at a sold-out performance in the Lewes Live Literature Festival. It was immediately revived for further performances in December 2004, and toured nationally in the Autumn of 2005.
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 2006 Elsie Piddock Skips in her Sleep 2005 The Young Visitors 2004 Write Next Door
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