Purni Morell announces first season at the Unicorn Theatre
The Unicorn Theatre, the UK’s largest theatre dedicated to children’s theatre, has announced its new season, the first with Purni Morell as artistic director.
The Legend of Captain Crow’s Teeth, which opens the season on 31 March, is a ghostly pirate adventure story for children ages 7 and up. The show is directed and adapted by award-winning Matthew Lenton, who founded the touring theatre group Vanishing Point in 1999.
The Unicorn will also present shows geared towards older children and teenage audiences. DNA (17-28 April) and Before Your Very Eyes (28-30 June) are suitable for ages above 12 to 14.
Dennis Kelly’s DNA follows a group of teenagers whose plans go awry when they cannot cover the tracks of an awful mistake, while Before Your Very Eyes is a show intended for adults, acted by children who age ‘before your very eyes’ to celebrate their 40th birthdays.
Also making its debut is Matthew Robins and Mark Arends‘ Something Very Far Away (1-24 June), billed as a “whimsical family show” told without words through projection, puppetry and music.
Going Greek
The Greeks consists of two Greek classics that Nancy Harris and Ryan Craig have adapted for a younger audience. Both based on works of Sophocles, The Man With The Disturbingly Smelly Foot and How To Think The Unthinkable represent a fresh take on the stories of Philoctetes and Antigone, respectively.
Both productions are directed by Ellen McDougal, an Olivier Award nominee for Ivan and the Dogs in 2011.
Bringing to life stories written by 600 children across London, Tales from the River Thames will be staged underneath London Bridge Station from 12 to 23 June.
And closing the season, from 29 August to 1 September, is a piece written by Evan Placey. How Was It For You? will examine how the Olympics has affected the lives of Londoners.
Speaking about her first season with The Unicorn, Morell said: “It’s a very exciting time to be joining the Unicorn. There’s a great buzz in Britain around theatre for younger audiences at the moment, and I’m delighted to be able to capitalise on that by offering both tried and tested favourites but also some quite radical new departures.
“What we’ve tried to do is offer everyone a taste of what is to come here in the future, and, particularly, to extend our reach out to older teenage and adult audiences with some quite challenging work that I think will surprise.”
– McKenzie Kramer
