Each year Catherine Wheels tours one of our productions into school gym halls in the spring term. These productions will then go on to tour around the world.
In 2014, our production of The Ballad of Pondlife McGurk left Sighthill in Edinburgh to be performed on a Broadway stage! In 2015, two casts performed Lifeboat simultaneously in Scottish school halls and in large theatres across the USA.
We also regularly present productions in Scottish theatres and schedule a variety of schools performances.
All in-school performances are designed to fit into school facilities with tight schedules. Costs to schools are by fee at £3 per child (by capacity).
Primary 4-7: Lost at Sea (in schools)
This week, Catherine Wheels premiered a new production at the Edinburgh International Science Festival. Lost at Sea was commissioned as part of EISF ‘Science in the Spotlight’ project which aims to bring together the wonder of theatre with science communication.
Suitable for P5-7, this production will be on tour into schools next spring.
The journey begins with a boy and a girl, fascinated by the story of 28,800 bath toys that accidentally ended up flung into the unrelenting currents of the Pacific Ocean.
Their investigation sees them uncover the mysteries of the sea and discovering its importance to every one of us on earth.
Primary 5-7: Pondlife (in schools and theatres) A new adaptation of Pondlife will be touring Scotland in the autumn. This is available for theatres, halls and schools (with larger facilities where space can be made available for longer set up period and black out can be achieved).
When Martin moves to a new school he feels lost in a sea of strange faces, especially when class bully Sharon takes a dislike to him. That is until he meets Simon McGurk and forms a friendship that not only changes Martin, but curses Simon for the rest of his school days. A poignant coming of age tale about just how difficult it can be to stay true to your friends.
Audience and Press Reviews Absolutely brilliant. Great performance. Wonderful storytelling. Very memorable. What a treat! (Edinburgh Fringe Audience 2012) The teachers of P5, P6 and P7 were very impressed with the performance. The actor was extremely skilled and engaging. The children could not take their eyes off him! It generated lots of interesting discussion back in the classroom. We would wholeheartedly recommend this performance to other schools. (Alyson Wier, Head Teacher, Tweedbank Primary)
Primary 1-3: The Story of the Little Gentleman (in schools)
The Story of the Little Gentleman is currently on tour into Scottish primary schools. By the time we reach the Imaginate performances at the end of May, we will have delivered 110 performances in 66 venues in 13 Scottish local authority areas.
Just had classes back from Little Gentleman performance – resounding triumph. Response from ALL kids and staff most positive I’ve ever seen (Head Teacher, Aberdeen Primary) The story was a powerful one. It grabbed the children’s attention from the outset and held it throughout. Pupils understood and could relate to the message it sent out and were eager to talk about it once back in class, linking it to their own experiences. The story was beautifully performed and was efficiently run by the company. Julie Conlan, Principal Teacher, St Mun’s PS (Dunoon)
Booking is open for all three productions. Schools performances are booked in a variety of ways, through Local Authorities or direct with schools themselves. Some schools come together to share a performance.
Please contact us if you require further information on any of the above.
Anna Derricourt
Touring & Schools Development Manager
Catherine Wheels Theatre Company
Tel: +44 (0)131 653 5255
