Edinburgh Fringe Festival

THEATRE COMPANY CELEBRATES 15 YEARS AT FRINGE WITH NEW STAGING OF SEMINAL ANTI-WAR MUSICAL

Back this month cementing its 15th year on the Fringe, Leicestershire Youth Arts continues its reputation of producing exemplary innovative theatre with three shows, including a revival of the revolutionary 1960s rock musical, Hair.

A product of the peace-love-hippy revolution of the 1960s, the musical explores themes of youthful exuberance pitched against an adult world of repression and conformity. Featuring a catalogue of infamous upbeat tunes, including Good Morning Starshine, Aquarius, and Let the Sun Shine In, the piece is as relevant and reflective of the world today than ever.

Following the success of their 2006 sell-out show, Holes, the company will also perform exciting new productions of two children’s classics: The BFG is an inventive adaptation of Roald Dahl’s beloved story by David Wood about a little girl and her adventures with one loveable whizzpopping giant, and Carlo Collodi’s Pinocchio traces the tale of a mischievous wooden puppet’s journery to boyhood, complete with laughing parrots, wily foxes and naughty boys turned into mules.

Youth Arts have built a strong reputation for producing plays especially tailored for younger audiences, having earned vast critical acclaim for productions including The Worst Witch, Carrie’s War, and Peter Pan.

Artistic Director, Robert Staunton, former Curriculum Advisor for Drama and Dance with Leicestershire Education Committee, has taken youth theatre performances as far as Ohio, St Petersburg, Kiev and Berlin. Robert has had several published stage adaptations of classic children’s novels, including Carrie’s War by Nina Bawden and Smith by Leon Garfield.

All three plays perform at Venue 27@ Holyrood.

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Hair
Book and Lyrics by James Rado
Music by Galt MacDermot

Who needs power when you can have freedom? Who needs war when you can have love and LSD? Come with us, burn your draft card – we won’t fight, we won’t be tied down, we won’t … face what’s really happening.

13–24 August 2007: 19.15 (20.15)
Venue 27 @ Holyrood
£7.00 (£5.00)

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The BFG
By Roald Dahl
Adapted by David Wood

Snozzcumber, frobscottle, whizzpoppers? What can all this nonsense mean? Timid and thoughtful orphan, Sophie, finds out as she enters the mystical Dream Country and the colourful world of the one and only Big Friendly Giant!

13-17 August 2007: 17.30 (18.30)
Venue 27 @ Holyrood
£7.00 (£5.00)

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Pinocchio
Adapted from the children’s novel by Carlo Collodi

Parrots, polecats, foxes and fairies in a sparkling new production of the Italian children’s classic. Can Pinocchio outwit the villains to find his father and finally win his dreams of becoming a real boy…?

19-24 August 2007: 17.30 (18.30)
Venue 27 @ Holyrood
£7.00 (£5.00)

For more information about Youth Arts Leicestershire's participation in the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, contact Youth Arts on 01509 230076 or by email.