Babble is a new intimate, interactive theatrical experience for Early Years audiences, aged 3-5 years.
Responding to issues surrounding children’s language development and creating exciting theatre for children, Babble puts the voice of the child centre stage. A collaboration of a team of amazing sound artists and theatre makers, the show is a playful live experience. Babble values and celebrates children’s voice in whatever language they speak
Listen….gurgles, burble, growls, crackles and crunches – are these sounds happy, scary, exciting or just, boring? Mik and Kin are Sound Collectors. But sounds don’t behave; storms rage in their cages, naughty chuckles slip through the cracks and cause chaos- they need help!
Come on a sound adventure. Help soothe the troubled storm with a lullaby or lure the giggle back to its home with their own giggles.
Children’s voicesare powerful. Recorded and edited in real time, they help transform the soundscape through the creation of a new piece of music. Each audience member will also receive a link to download their music to continue coversations and keep our world filled with sound of children’s voices! Babble is a playful, surreal gentle and intriguing show with collaboration at it’s heart.
Last year (2019), we developed the piece and piloted the show to a number of Bristol schools and nurseries: “That’s me. I did this” “Funny – I want it again!” “Did my voice go in the box?” (audience members)
“I found it very inventive and visually/aurally stimulating. I was also amazed at the sophistication of all the recording of the sounds. Creating as you are going along is exciting and should be empowering for the participants. The children laughed a lot, too.” (Staff – Redcliffe Children’s Centre, Bristol)
Our first R&D in 2018 was a residency at a local nursery school and The Brewhouse Theatre, Taunton, supported by the Hopper Consortium, (Surrey Arts, Take Art and China Plate) and The Arts Council, England
Production requirements:
Babble is a versatile and intimate performance, which can be adapted for different layouts. It requires:
- a dedicated space for the duration of the activity (i.e. a hall or large clear room).
- a capacity of 10 – 15 children at a time. This capacity ensures that every child is treated as an individual by the performers and they are given the time and space to contribute to the piece.
We are currently taking bookings for a tour of Babble in 2020. If your school, nursery or community centre is interested in discussing the project further, please email Stevie at info@flibbertigibbettheatre.co.uk