Download THE SNOW DRAGON VISUAL GUIDE FOR RELAXED

THE SNOW DRAGON VISUAL GUIDE FOR RELAXED
PERFORMANCES
About The Play
How long does the play last?
55 minutes – with no interval
What is the play about?
Billy is a very spoilt young goat whose parents give him everything he wants. On New Year’s
Eve, Billy’s parents tell him about the legendary Snow Dragon, who flies across the land
delivering presents to children during the night. When Billy sets off to find some berries to
leave for the Snow Dragon, he bumps into his friends, Spike the Hedgehog and Rosie the
Piglet who are also collecting offerings. Spike tells Billy about the Snow Unicorn and Rosie,
the Snow Goblin; but Billy is only interested in taking their gifts and passing them off as his
own!
Billy soon bumps into some wolves who want to teach him a little lesson about sharing and
caring for others! To escape, Billy must promise to be good and give back the gifts he stole
from his friends.
Will he learn to be good and will the Snow Dragon leave him a present?
The show is based on the book ‘The Snow Dragon’, written by Toby Mitchell and illustrated
by Anna Lewenhaupt. You can buy the book from our website www.tallstories.org.uk to read
before the show, or it will be available to buy in the foyer of the theatre on the day of the
performance.
The Characters
Billy the Goat, Spike the Hedgehog, Rosie the Piglet, Billy’s parents, Wolves/Narrators
The show is made up of three actors. One actor plays Billy throughout the show and the
other 2 perform a variety of roles with different costumes.
The stage adaptation includes all the text of the book and is driven along with music, songs,
lots of fun and some audience participation. The characters will speak directly to the
audience, so feel free to sing-a-long and answer back when prompted.
The actor’s faces are visible and the costumes are minimal to facilitate the very physical
style of the performance.
The Snow Dragon is a beautiful puppet operated by the 2 narrators.
The Actors
Emilio Iannucci – Billy
This is Emilio
Emilio is a recent graduate of the Royal Central School of Speech
and Drama, and has just finished a run of ‘Twelfth Night’ and
‘Henry V’ at the Pendley Shakespeare Festival. Other credits
include: ‘Hamlet’, ‘Comedy of Errors’, ‘Jennie Benton Wordsmith’ &
‘Romeo and Juliet’. Whilst training: ‘Market Boy’, ‘PUSH’, ‘Andorra’
and ‘The Duchess of Malfi’. This is his first UK tour and his debut
with Tall Stories.
This is Emilio dressed as Billy.
Alastair Chisholm –
Billy’s Dad / Spike / Narrator
This is Alastair.
Alastair has worked with Tall Stories on many occasions and is
delighted to return to ‘The Snow Dragon’ this year. The show has
taken Al to some magical places including Hong Kong, Singapore,
Poland and Stockton-on-Tees! Since graduating from Bretton Hall
in 1999, Al has spent the intervening 15 years dressing up and
being silly. For your information Al has been very good this year.
This is Alastair dressed as Billy’s Dad
This is Alastair dressed as Spike the Hedgehog
This is Alastair dressed as one of the
Wolves/Narrator
Ruth Hutchinson - Billy’s Mum / Rosie / Narrator
This is Ruth
Ruth was part of the original devising company for ‘The Snow
Dragon’ and is pleased to be joining Tall Stories again this
Christmas. Other theatre credits include: ‘Fallen Angels’ (Bill
Kenwright No.1 tour) ‘Peter Pan’ (Spiller Pantomimes), ‘Lipstick
on Your Collar’ (SG Productions), ‘Alice in Wonderland’, ‘Mrs
Wobble the Waitress & Friends’ and ‘The Frog Prince’ (all for
Forbidden Theatre Company). Ruth's TV credits include ‘Dick
and Dom’ (BBC Television) and adverts for American Express
(TVC) and Aussie Hair Shampoo (Quiet Storm).
This is Ruth dressed as Billy’s mum
This is Ruth dressed as Rosie the Piglet
This is Ruth dressed as one of the
Wolves/Narrator
Information about the set
The Set
When you arrive in the auditorium you will see a snowy woodland scene on stage, the stage
lighting will be down low with the sound of different animals and music in the background.
Here is a picture of the set
Lighting
There are day-time and night-time lighting states in the show.
Towards the end, when the Snow Dragon appears, the lights will dim to create a dreamlike,
mystery atmosphere. There is no strobe lighting or flash photography in this production.
At the end of the show the lights go to blackout to signify the end of the show. This is only for
1 or 2 seconds before they quickly come up for the cast to bow. There is then a finale song
to clap and sing-a-long to.
For this relaxed performance, we will be keeping some of the house lights on so that the
auditorium will not be in total darkness.
Sounds
The show contains recorded music, live singing and woodland sound effects that help set
the scene.
The Narrators open the show by howling like Wolves and there are various points throughout
the show where they will do this. The audience are encouraged to join in with the howling at
certain moments.
For this relaxed performance, we will be turning the overall level of the sound down so that it
is not too loud during the performance.
Songs from the show include:
1. Life Is Fun When You’re Number One (Performed by Billy & Parents)
2. Snow Unicorn (Performed by Spike & Billy)
3. Snow Goblin (Performed by Rosie & Billy)
4. A Cautionary Tale (Performed by the Wolves)
5. Do As You Would Be Done By (Performed by Billy & the Wolves)
6. Snow Dragon instrumental
You can purchase a CD of songs from the show from our website www.tallstories.org.uk to
listen to before the show, or it will be available to buy in the foyer of the theatre on the day of
the performance.
Recommended age
The Snow Dragon is recommended for ages 3+.
Announcements
There may be an announcement just before the show asking for mobile devices to be
switched off and advising that photography or filming of any kind is not permitted. If you need
to use a specific electronic device such as an Ipad to help with your enjoyment of the show,
please inform the ushers as you enter the theatre.
Extra Information
If you need any extra information in the lead up to your visit, please contact Charlotte Lund
from Tall Stories Theatre Company [email protected] 020 8348 0080
To book for the relaxed performance or for more details about your tickets, please call the
box office on 01256 844244.