dreamfighter mark two

later on today up in Scotland, Dreamfighter gets its second outing as part of this year's Aberdeen International Youth Festival. Performed twice (5.30 and 7.30), and with the same team as the premiere here in Lichfield (Scottish Ensemble, composer Tim Sutton conducting and Hannah Conway narrating), the choir this time round will be the NYCoS Girls Choir.

day seven.two

just back from announcing the UOGB for the final Ukulelescope, and ensuring that the Happiness Patrol's Tales of Terror got off to a good start. I am seeing the full show tomorrow evening, but I did manage to pop my head into the conclusion of the rehearsal. It will be very, very good. Like all good storytellers, Happiness Patrol are telling ghost stories with almost no set and props. However, one of those props, used for the final story, is a large coffin, which they apparently dropped off at the box office earlier today, happily coinciding with a bunch of children arriving for more Dreamfighter education performances.

Dreamfighter first reading session

Just heard from Tim Sutton, the composer jointly commissioned by the Lichfield Festival and Scottish Ensemble to write a major new work for families. As I write he is heading back to London from Glasgow where he has had a fantastic first reading session with Scottish Ensemble in readiness for the world premiere in Lichfield on July 12 and repeat performances on 6 August as part of the Aberdeen International Youth Festival. The school's performance in Lichfield on July 13 has already sold out.
Entitled Dreamfighter, and based on Ted Hughes' collection of short stories Dreamfighter and Other Creation Tales, Sutton's new work will be for, obviously, the Scottish Ensemble, but also a narrator and youth choir. In both Lichfield and Aberdeen, the narrator will be the wonderful Hannah Conway, while the choir will be Taplow Girls' Choir in Lichfield and the NYCoS National Girls Choir in Scotland.
Dreamfighter has been made possible with funding from the Esmee Fairbairn Foundation, Scottish Arts Council and the PRS Foundation.
... and thanks again to yellow for such fab flyer design.