IF you are heading off to the Hilton Arts Festival at Hilton College this week then here are some productions which children of all ages will enjoy.

Pillow Fort Productions presents Just Here, a unique piece of puppetry and object theatre about making a space your own, and arranging it just so. It is created for very young children (under six) and meets this special audience eye-to-eye, mind-to-mind.

Just Here is the latest offering from Pillow Fort Productions, the company behind Patchwork, which was South Africa’s first professional show for one to four-year-olds and toured locally and internationally to great acclaim.

The play is directed by Handspring puppeteer Gabriel Marchand, and features Joanna Evans (Born in the RSA, which is also at the Hilton Arts Festival) and Roshina Ratnam (Sadako), with sound design by Pedro Espi-Sanchis (Pedro the Music Man).

Just Here is being staged in the CFI lecture theatre at 3 pm on Saturday, September 19 and 10 am on Sunday, September 20. Tickets are R70 and the show is 35 minutes long.

Another must see at the festival is Tales of a Termite, written by Greig Coetzee, performed by TQ Zondi and Mpilo Nzimande (Ovation Award winners for Woza Albert!) and; directed by Peter Mitchell.

The delicious and astute Tales From a Termite combines physical theatre, satire and a dash of lunacy as it blends traditional folk tales with modern South African life.

This fast-paced trilogy of stories tells tales of various animals as they take on Minicab Taxis, Colonel Sanders and try to explain why dogs sniff each other’s behinds! This is satire of the most wacky and cutting variety.

See it in The Courtyard at 3 pm on Saturday, September 19 and 1 pm on Sunday, September 20. The show is aimed at those 12 years and older. Tickets are R60.

From the Actors Unemployed Company (AUC) comes Penelope Pixie’s Birthday Adventure, which is being staged in the Drama Centre at 10 am on Saturday, September 19.

It’s Penelope Pixie’s Birthday… and she wants to go on an adventure! Along with her best friend, Gary the Goblin, who knows what she’ll encounter when she travels up Magic Mountain? Especially once they meet Barry Boulderfist!

The show stars Marc Kay, Sarah Richard and Rowan Bartlett, and is filled with song, dance, comedy, action and excitement! Directed by Bryan Hiles, and with original music written by Dale Scheepers, it promises to delight children of all ages.

Tickets for Penelope Pixie’s Birthday Adventure are R85 and the show runs for 45 minutes.

The AUC is also staging the delightful chidlren’s show Thrice Upon A Time at 10 am on Sunday, September 20 in the Drama Centre.

Marc Kay and Sarah Richard tell some of our favourite stories – The Three Billy Goats Gruff, Goldilocks and the Three Bears, and Three Little Pigs. All are filled with magic, comedy, audience interaction… and shadow puppetry!

I was lucky enough to catch the show in Durban and I can guarantee it will be a hit with families of all shapes and sizes. Tickets are R85 and the show is 45 minutes long.

WORKSHOPS 

The AUC is also holding two workshops during the Hilton Arts Festival. In Basic Performance Skills they will showcase some of the inner workings of musical theatre.

Marc Kay, Sarah Richard and Rowan Bartlett will lead all participants through a brief look at what it takes to get a musical up and off the ground. This will include a physical and vocal warmup, and is followed up by a session of learning part of one of the songs included in the show… both the singing and the choreography!

Tickets for the workshop, which takes place in Buzz Room 2 at 11.15 am on September 19, are R85. The session runs for 45 minutes.

The second workshop, Fun in the Shadows, takes place at 11.15 am on Sunday, September 20. It will cover simple shadow puppet making, and technique.

Marc Kay and Sarah Richard will begin with a brief history of shadow puppetry, and then move on to the crafting shadow puppets, so that little ones can tell their own stories at home.

Tickets are R85 and the venue is Buzz Room 2. The sessions lasts 45 minutes.

To book for these shows and workshops and for more information on the Hilton Arts Festival log on to www.hiltonfestival.co.za