This last week has been quite intense, trying to process and present all the great ideas & inspirations from regularly working with groups of under 5′s with their parents & carers. We have an amazing Cloud Child puppet to work with, thanks to Georgina Solo http://georginasolo.co.uk

and beautiful music,which really made the action progress, thanks to Verbal Vigilante

Huge Thanks to Adam Bennett and Liz Fitgerald Taylor, making the moves assisted by Mark Whitaker and Sarah Hicks for her graphics. Finally huge gratitude to all the children and their parents plus Surestart Swinton for all their valuable play and feedback.

Cloudchild will be rehearsed in Dec for a 2013 national uk tour, and huge thank you to all the theatre bookers who came along to the presentation. I cant wait to make this beautiful show happen along with the Imaginary Leaps interactive theatre play sessions ‘Clouds’ which is available for early years settings, museums & art galleries plus other arts events. Rachel Riggs – Artistic Director

Heres some of the comments we recieved -

‘This has been great – so many classes expect more structure.  Parents constantly echo what the class leader is saying.  This has been lovely because its much freer and child led and gives a much better idea of the children’s own imagination.  Through the freedom, its more relaxing for the parent (not always having to say “no.”) Isabelle has had more fun too.’  – Monika Neall

‘Well structured, flexible format to give kids space to respond in their own way – to watch or be shy and to join in when ready.  Music was a bit eerie, could be a bit more child friendly.’

‘Wonderful, fun and imaginative play.  My daughter really enjoyed it.’ – Dawn & Abigail, aged 4

‘Relaxing and so beautiful.’ Carer of Nikitos 3 & half years

‘Both really enjoyed it. Dancing and the visuals. Joe had fun playing with the materials projecting and in his bucket boat!’ – Mother of May 2 yrs & half & Joe 10 months

‘Fantastic child-led play. Creative and sensual. I enjoyed children turning their clouds into snow men and dropping leaves on the projector. Creating a beautiful effect on the screen. Children cuddling their clouds, everything felt good to touch.’

‘Thanks for today. It was a very interesting experience. I very much enjoyed being party to your creative processes, as it has been a while since I have been involved in devising as part of a group .I felt you all listened and took my ideas on board as part of these processes. It was also interesting to see how the children’s participation and experiences informed your decision making.  It was also interesting to be involved in the workshop in a different role, without my son Faron.

I felt it was a very successful session in which the children’s individual needs appeared to be met. For instance, the boy who was very shy to begin with was able to take his time and join in when he was ready. He really allowed himself to become lost in his imagination amongst the lights and fabrics and also made a connection, rolling around with and racing a little girl that he had not previously met. May, on the other hand was able to dip in and out of the experience. At first dancing expressively to the music, then being drawn into the OHP and playing with coloured gels, watching them fall and make shapes, before re-entering the dance to finish. She was particularly drawn to the ‘flags’ when waved overhead. I drew her attention to the colours we had placed on the OHP and she chased them, spinning and dancing. Her brother Joe, a baby, was content, playing with the fabrics and enjoying the multi-sensory experience of light, sound and touch. He was also greatly amused by being pulled around in the washing basket.’

Carrie Williams & Faron aged 2yrs.

‘Basket/bucket was a great prop for those under one to pull themselves up with and play with the cloth. A few of those would be great for littlees to spin around and journey together as Mark did with Joseph today.
All your ideas were wonderful and worked beautifully with the children today.
The projections of children onto clouds were great. I think if there was a way of fading out the rest of the scene around them using lights and bringing the focus to the projection of the child on the cloud that would be lovely for them.
The cloth lent itself to tipping and rolling the children [which i didnt get around to doing today] maybe by a dancer/actor demonstrating by rolling and pushing against the cloth or by actor gently lifting /manipulating the cloth with the children on it to tip them as well as the sliding journey we did today.’
from Claire Fildes – Tiny Tots Mini movement Session, Lowry

Feedback from Surestart Swinton Early years providers with children 2-3 years –

‘Its a good idea to use the puppet to bring everything to life”

“Using the white parachute silk for sensory play wo9rked really well for all of them.” “It was very good the kids were very much in control.”

“Brilliant story telling, the kids really focussed and enjoyed the nurturing, caring for the cloud baby.”

“Very animated.”

From the Cloud Child presentation day Friday 20^th January -

‘We had a great time at your sharing on Friday. It was great to see the development of your ideas and Faron really enjoyed it, as you could probably tell from the laughter. He found it really funny and I think that possibly his favourite theme is the making of characters from fabric. (It will be lovely to see this developed.) He seemed to really get that…He also loved the part when the limbs where sticking out at angles from the cloud. Perhaps it is the unexpected elements of these scenes that appeal? I really love the part where Cloudchild throws paint on the house, it looks beautiful. I also like the small scene made on top of the cloud.

Faron really enjoyed interacting with the puppet, as on Friday of last week. He seems to have formed a connection with it on some level and it was really beautiful when Cloudchild comforted him after bumping his head. The thing that has stayed with him most of all is Cloudchild floating in the sky, which looks very serene when coupled with the music. After the session we went into the office, he played with a fluffy elephant, on top of a pen. He moved the pen around him, saying “Elephant is flying in the sky”. I asked “Like the Cloudchild?’ He replied ‘Yes”. When asked at any time about the puppets he says “Flying up in the sky”.

I think the experience has been a hugely enriching one for him. I also have been inspired and have a renewed desire to create work…’ -  Carrie Williams & Faron aged 2yrs.

Four puppeteers work together on a scene

Working with projecting videos of clouds from the front and live feeds from a camcorder projected from behind, we got some very interesting effects going. The overhead projector light was far more powerful and washed out the other projections when used. Technically challenging work, but rewarding and worth trying out to see how the effects could be used to help create layered images.

Yesterday we bade farewell to our friends from Sensorium Theatre (Australia) Francis Italiano and Michelle Hovane who have been so willing to help out and contribute. We look forward to working with them in the future.

As you can see, we had some interesting multiple projection moments.

Later, we worked with the cloud child puppet and the house, looking at projections, and the introduction of primary colours: blues, red, orange and green

We played around with the puppet drawing on the house, either with real pens or crayons, or using projections to give the illusions of  Cloud Child drawing on the walls of the house.

In the end, we tried the puppet throwing little pots of colour onto the house and using the overhead projector to make the splashes appear on the house, with the old woman having to clean up, before realising that it’s good to have splashes of colour in life.

Here is a short video of something we tried out.

A fabulous day researching the play elements & materials with young children in the morning, and then hearing & playing with the first music cut this afternoon. Having the musical score from the Verbal Vigilante boys, really ‘glued’ the visual images together with the story woven . The performance is non verbal language based, so clarity of the image and action between puppet and performer in the devised work is paramount. Rachel.Click to view slideshow.

Rachel Riggs Artistic Director

‘We introduced white cloth – ran under it, sat on top of it, bellowed it out and it became a huge cloud.  Again, the children and adults loved it!  Eventually we introduced the Cloud Child puppet – the little ones squeeled with delight as she emerged from under white cloth.  Several of the children began to “care for her” putting shoes on her and helping her to walk.  They did become a little over excited and we were aware of the puppet’s vulnerability. An important breakthrough during the process.’

‘I love working with Michelle Hovane physical movementperformer who uses the Body Mind Centering methodology; she really helps me to focus on my body as a performer.  We explored our bones, our lungs and heart.  How do we move when we are bone-focused?  Amazing work.  We began movement work, concentrating on the character of the old woman.  She moved from being bone-centred, which gave her a practical grounding to earth.  We then explored lung and heart centred, which gave me a wonderful feeling of “other world.”  Putting the states together really helps to find the core of my character. Michelle and I put together a short movement piece concentrating on the practical side of the character and her everyday actions.  It was lovely work.’

Today we visited Lets Go Global and had some good advice from Chris Roberts about connecting a digital camcorder to a mini-projector so we could try projecting live faces onto clouds.

Liz writes ‘We explored shadow work onto a back cloth – this is a totally new area of work for me and I find it fascinating.  Projecting faces onto small clouds fashioned onto a washing line is really exciting.  A great day’s work.  Leaving The Lowry exhausted but very happy! ‘

Weve also had Amber Onat Gregory from Tell Me a Tale joining in with the play yesterday!

We explored how coming from somewhere else and trying to fit in makes you feel, ideas of belonging and not belonging, things that you hold on to and things that set you free. Feelings of lightness and heaviness, loss and fierce loving.

Tomorrow we’re taking our ideas out to an early years setting to let the children meet the performers, materials and puppets and explore their responses and sharing.

Listed below is our ‘Wall of Fame” – a chance to thank those who helped us with their generosity. Those who we know run their own arts companies get a free plug.

From last to first:

Karen Torley – Banyan Theatre

George Ogilvie – magnificent technical support for many of our touring shows at the Lyric Theatre, Hammersmith, London.

Jo Cooper – former DNA stage manager and totally lovely person

Christopher Hodgson – we met Chris at the Green Room, Manchester. Now at Horse and Bamboo theatre.

Bob Frith – Artistic Director of Horse and Bamboo theatre, sculptor, painter, mask maker, puppet maker and fabulous visual theatre director.

Chris Davies – performer and musician

Penny Francis MBE – since the 70′s has supported the development of puppetry and visual theatre through setting up the Puppet Centre Trust, London, teaching at Central School of Speech and Drama, and writing books on puppetry

Mr Pat Simmons – we don’t know Pat, but thank him very much.

Mark Ptiman of Garlic Theatre - Mark is a theatre maker and puppeteer of extraordinary talent, both as a performer and director and as a designer and maker.

Fiona de Garis – Performing Lines Perth. Fiona produces many extraordinary performances of theatre and dance, and was producer of UNIMA 2008 in Perth where we performed ‘Chicken Licken’

Mr Paul Sherwood – Paul is a musician who has toured with us to Wales and Denmark. We’ve enjoyed his hurdy-gurdy playing many times.

Slavka Jovanovic – education manager at the Little Angel Theatre (home of British Puppetry)

Anne Strachan -Developing and supporting crowdfunding campaigns; creativity and innovation and business model generation for social entrepreneurs http://crowdfunduk.wordpress.com

Mr Jacques Phillips of Phillips McIntosh – Jaques is a great entrepeneur who will go far.

Katherine McLean – an excellent arts manager and producer, who supports the arts for young people

Tony Bonney – another fabulous arts manager and all round good egg.

Selma Cairney – Selma and Christian are close personal friends of Adam and Rachel.

Ida Marie Tjalve – thanks Ida!

Steve Tiplady of Indefinite Articles. Steve has directed one of our shows, collaborated with us in the early days and now is an internationally reknowned performer and director of puppetry and object theatre for all ages – including early years.

Mr Edward Whiting of We Did This crowdfunding site – thanks Edward!

Francis Italiano of Sensorium Theatre – Francis and Michelle are currently on a crowdfunded study trip to various places in Europe researching best practise in sensory theatre for children with various levels of physical, and learning abilities.

Mr David Riggs of Phoenix Arizona – Rachel’s great uncle.

Mr Ian Woods of Norwich Puppet Theatre - if you’re ever in Norwich, visit this little gem of a theatre. DNA has performed many times there and it is very lovely.

We’d like to thank each and every one of you for your support. We will be beginning our project tomorrow, so we hope you enjoy our blog posts.