The Wonderful Dramaturgy of Lapin: Tania Czajka @ Edfringe 2017

Le Petit Monde presents 

THE WONDERFUL WORLD OF LAPIN 

by Tania Czajka and Alasdair Satchel 

Performed by Tania Czajka Direction by Alasdair Satchel. 

Set design by Iain Halket. Lighting design by George Tarbuck Sound design and composition by Nik Paget-Tomlison and Niroshini Thambar. 

3 - 27 August 2017 (preview: 3 August; no shows 16-18 and 21-25 August) Scottish Storytelling Centre – 10.30am (50 mins)

This delightful bilingual one-woman children’s show featuring live puppetry is the perfect opportunity to introduce very young children to learning an all-important second language

 Narrated in English with French sentences, The Wonderful World of Lapin is a fun and heart-warming bilingual piece of theatre, accessible to all non-French speakers. 

It is aimed specifically at children aged 3-8 although it has delighted audiences of other ages and is an engaging experience for the whole family. 

Tania has just arrived from Paris for a very special occasion: the world's tastiest carrot competition! 

In her trunk, she carries her very own garden, from which a whole world is revealed... a world of Tania's animal friends, each of them desperate for a taste of her prize carrot. Welcome to the wonderful world of Lapin!

What was the inspiration for this performance?

Children I was working with. Also the little worlds my brother and I use to create when we were wee.  

And a fantastic children's programme on French tv called 'L'ile aux Enfants', which was an imaginary world on its own but with real people in it.

Is performance still a good space for the public discussion of ideas? 

Of course, I i think it will always be.

How did you become interested in making performance?

My love for sharing all the good things inside me: hope, quirkiness, humour, love... and my native French language.

Is there any particular approach to the making of the show?

 I would say to follow your heart and your vision. I have been doing so for the past 10 years and it led to the creation of the show quite quickly because all the elements were inside me. The wonderful director Alasdair Satchel understood very well what i was trying to achieve so it worked out perfectly.

Does the show fit with your usual productions?

 I would say the show is the result of my hard working years. It represents a new start for the company.

What do you hope that the audience will experience?

A sense of magic, hope, feeling good. Some giggles. And a few French words in their pockets. 

What strategies did you consider towards shaping this audience experience?

We wanted the audience to enter the French world of Tania and Lapin effortlessly and have a fun time so we worked hard on every aspect of the show (designs, character development, script) to make this possible.

It is children's theatre with a French twist in it.

STRANGE TOWN CHRISTMAS DOUBLE BILL

It might be Christmas time, but the Vile Arts never rests. If I am not at pantomime, I am seeking something that can take the taste of tired routines out of my ears... much as I love the call and response, the "bring down the clout" chants and the flashing novelty toys, I do need the odd performance of a more dissonant bent. Anatomy at Summerhall is looking good, but the wonderful Scottish Storytelling Centre is hosting Strange Town for a couple of festive specials.

Snow White and the Seven Delinquents is another take on the fairy-tale that smacks it into the twenty-first century. The step-mother has an application on her phone that does for a magic mirror and Prince Charming is trying to get into Heat magazine. It says a great deal about the post-modern age that the characters in myths end up getting deconstructed every single time they turn up in a contemporary setting - either that the old tales are losing their meaning, or that our vision of human potential is increasingly limited. 

Still, stuff like this is a good corrective to the simple stories that pantomime serves up. If I see too many straight versions of Cinderella, I start crying that my prince hasn't woken me up with a kiss - and it feels like a century has already passed in idle snoozing.

Part two of the double bill has some strong language and is set on Hogmanay in Edinburgh.  Just like my New Year is going to be...

Dates:   Sun 16 - Tue 18 Dec 2012                                                                                                                     Box Office: 0131 556 9579

Tickets: £7.50 (£4.50)                                                                

Twitter Handle: @infostrangetown

Strange Town Young Company presents...

Snow White & The & Seven Delinquents

by Alan Gordon

Time: 7:00 pm (50 mins)                                                         

With Step-Mummy raging at her Magic Mirror App and Prince Charming desperate to be Heat’s torso of the week, it’s up to seven teenage tearaways to point Snow towards her, like, totally happy ending.

Emerging young writer Alan Gordon and Strange Town Young Company offer you their unique take on this well known tale.

And...

Meet You For The Bells

Time: 9:00 pm (50 mins)                                                         

 It’s Hogmanay in Edinburgh . . . join us for The Bells as we ring out the old and ring in the new. How was 2012 for you?

  

Both shows are directed by Steve Small (‘Chow Mein’, Traverse Theatre & ‘Teach Me’, Hill Street) and written by up and coming Edinburgh based playwright, Alan Gordon (‘this is a mature and assured pleasure’ **** ThreeWeeks ‘Teach Me’ 2012)