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bZents go blogging
Welcome to our Blog! We plan to keep you up date with all our children's theatre events / workshops and a few other things besides. We hope that you will send us lots of pictures and comments. If you have got to our blog you will have probably seen our brand new shiny bZents website which will give you some idea of the wide variety of stuff we can offer. If you need to know more then just drop us a line or give us a call.
17th January 2012
Sorry!..........
I know, I know. It's been a long time since I've put anything here. There's been a lot going on! Work seems to have been coming in fairly steadily for the coming year., which is encouraging considering the doom and gloom there is in the world at the moment.
Also I've been busily writing a new murder for performance at Stapleford Park next month.
It's been a long time since we have been on the murder trail, but it's potentially looking pretty good.
28th December
Phew!!!..........
Christmas is almost over workwise, and it has to be said it was all pretty good!. Most of it was, as usual, at Center Parcs where this year we played characters from Aladdin. We also had a new helper this year, Georgia. She was great!
9th December
Well the weather's changed..........
This time last year we were about to launch out on the Christmas work and we aere up to our ears in snow! However whilst it is very cold there is no snow. Yet anyway. Christmas really kicks off this weekend with Clowning workshops in the gorgeous Sherwood Forest.
5th December
Busy, busy,busy..........
Well Ludlow was BRILLIANT!. For the first time ever there was reasonable weather - bright and mild and the crowds flooded in. Apparently 14,000 people came in on the Saturday. As ever the castle looked wonderful and our performer friends, notably the fabulous Wyndebagge, were in top form.
.
19th November
Looking good..........
English Heritage have just come in with work for next year. We obviously did something right as they've come in with a load of work for 2012. The only real problem is a clash with the Robin Hood Festival. I'm sure something will get sorted.
7th November
Well that went well..........
We've had some lovely feedback from English Heritage about the Wrest Park work.
And since then we've had a lot of fun at the various bonfire night work for Center Parcs and Bolsover Castle. Who would have thought Guy Fawkes could be so much fun?
31st October
Out of site does not mean..........
I know it seems that I have been away from the blog part for a month now, but I have adjusted other areas of the site, so things have been ticking over. Also we have been incredibly busy. This has included some lovely days at one of our favourite schools - The Grove in Melton, the regular ghost walk season at Center Parcs and the fabulous time we had with the ghost hunt at Wrest Park for English Heritage.
It was brilliant fun and seemed to go down very well with both the punters and the staff.
1st October
Far flung corners of the earth.....?
Had a lovely job this week in Tyldesley in Manchester. It was a Tudor day and we performed "Don't Mess With Bess" and "All the World's a Stage" along with Tudor dance workshops. Lovley kids and a fun day.
23rd September
Who said life was going to get easier.....?
Because we seem as busy as ever! The great mailshot is out and we've had some response and one booking, so that's a good start.
We were Robin Hooding in Bradford on Tuesday after a lovely couple of days off in Whitby - seriously cool place, then back to organising new work for English Heritage . Ghost walks and Gunpowder plotters are the order of the day!
16th September
Mailshot time.....
We are at the time of year for The Big Mailshot! This year we have gone high-tech and are trying out a franking machine. At the moment that is causing more trouble than it is worth. We have over 500 envelopes stuffed and ready to go but we cannot frank them. It is driving us NUTS!!!!!
4th September
A change of emphasis.....
Well, it's back to the old marketing and so on. Some lovely pictures taken of the summer's work. Here are a couple from Carisbrooke.
30th August
Phew!!! (part 2).............
That's it then, home at last after one of the busiest Augusts ever. It was great! Once again the work was all over the country, finishing up at Dover Castle. We worked in some fabulous places, with some great people, some old (Hautbois, Peterkin) and some new, (The Executioner). Back home now to catch up with the office and prepare for 2012!
1st August
Phew!!!.............
Work is BONKERS!
We had a fabulous week last week at the gorgeous Framlingham Castle
From there we went to Conisbrough Castle in Yorkshire for the weekend. Conisbrough is awesome. It is a brutal display of medieval power.
And now it's off to another castle - Carisbrooke on the Isle of Wight
18th July
Wet, Wet, Wet.............
Well this past weekend was one of the big prestige weekends of the year, the English Heritage Festival of History. It is a big weekend and there are thousands of re-enactors from every period of history. If the weather is good it is the most brilliant weekend. If...... . It wasn't. Unfortunatley it tends to call into question the whole event for future years. They will have made a loss and it is difficult to justify such an expensive event when because of the current economic climate people in the organisation are losing their jobs.
12th July
Brmmm brmmm.............
Had a lovely day on Sunday at the fabulous Newby Hall in Yorkshire for the Jaguar Enthusiasts Club. The weather wasn't brilliant - there were a couple of heavy showers, but at least it showed up where the owners had polished their gorgeous cars!.
6th July
Still busy.......
Which is just as well. If we weren't busy at this time of year then we would be in trouble! Heritage Tents, the excellent company who made our new tent have been brilliant. We had a few problems with the piping on our tent, the colour ran a bit when wet. They built us a complete new tent with no questions asked! How good a service is that?
20th June
Wet wet wet.............
And I don't mean the boy band! We had another Freddie show on Saturday- the weather was not good, in fact it poured down in some incredibly heavy showers. At one point we were performing in the hail!!!
However, this all pales into insignificance against the fact that at a show in Bury StEdmunds yesterday, a show that we covered for the Tony Yorke Agency just last year, there was a fatal accident when a horse pulling a carriage spooked and ran down a busy avenue. A tragedy.
16th June
All change.............
The contract for this year's Robin Hood Festival has just been signed. Looks as though it is going to be a very different event this year!
12th June
First of the year.............
Well yesterday was the first Freddie show of the year. It was a great show. Freddie and all the props performed well and we were pretty good too!
The only problem I thought we had was that they put us on so late that all the kids had gone home! We had hardly any audience and they had paid quite a lot of money to get us there.
5th June
It Rained.......................!
Through this time of unseasonably dry and warm weather it chose the bank holiday to rain! It poured down on day two at Kenilworth and tested the new tent big time. It passed! This comes as some relief. Working hard on the new Shakespeare show at the moment, at least Gayna is!
26th May
Some good news and some........
Well, the work at "The Grove" has finally finished and what fun it was. The kids really came p trumps and I worked with some great people. There was Alan Kirkpatrick from "No Strings Puppets", Ron from Jolly Good Productions, and Lex the sound man. This is all good. The bad is that it looks as though that is the end of Creative Partnership work as all funding has been cut. On top of that Caenter Parcs have cancelled their Christmas Ghost Walks! Bummer!
20th May
Apologies........
A long delay between entries. We've been away for a few days on hols in Yorkshire. Well this site is likely to be with us for another year. I wanted to put together a new site, but I just don't seem to have the time. No matter, loads of things to update, so there will be quite a few changes.
12th May
More Grove Part 2....
Phew! The Robin Hood stuff went really well, really well and the kids had a great time (so did I).
In the meantime the puppet project is continuing on. Gayna has been in making puppets with the kids and parents - everyone is really pleased.
4th May
More Grove....
Because of a family bereavement to a member of staff at the Grove have a few extra days there next week. Will probably Robin Hood it.
3rd May
Phew....
Audley End was great. Absolutely frantic, but great.
Close to 7000 people over the three days and just about all of them did the circus skills! A lot of publicity was taken, which is always gratifying. Anyway, back to the puppets at The Grove this week.
28th April 2011
Tent Christening..(part 2).....
All seemed to go very well. The sun shone, the people arrived, the tent was impressive, as you can see....
20th April 2011
Tent Christening.......
Off to Dover this weekend to work for English Heritage. It will be the first time the new tent will be used in anger. I hope the site is big enough!
14th April 2011
Sherwood in the spring.......
Just done a couple of days' work in one of my favourite venues - Sherwood Forest. I don't know how much longer we'll be working there - government cuts have meant they have cut their events programme completely. However, this is a time of year that I don't often go to the forest and it was STUNNING! The trees were just greening yet the foliage wasn't so thick you were masked from the sky.
10th April 2011
Technophobe.......
Just launched the new website for "Class In A Coat". I think the site looks OK, but as usual with me and 'puters, things are not going entirely to plan - no e-mails at the moment.
7th April 2011
What do you know?.......
We're working hard on the quiz for Ragdale Hall . It is on next week, and if it goes as well as last year it should be a bit of a hoot.
6th April 2011
The New tent.......
It's here! It's big... It's brilliant!
Hopefully it will bring a load of impact on our historical show sites.
2nd April 2011
It's red.....
New publicity is here and it's very red. Brilliant!
31st March 2011
Back home....
"We'll be thinking about you........" So where did all the rubbish England World Cup songs go? But here we are back home after another few days away. Off to pick up our new Double bell tent today. Whoopee!
25th March 2011
Back on the road again....
Back to Banbury for a few more days with the environmental show. Great stuff!
24th March 2011
New publicity........
The schools' publicity has disappeared - or so it seems. Anyway the new stuff for the next academic year is on its way!
22nd March 2011
Catching breath........
For a few days. Keeping up with the puppet work at The Grove before back on the road again next week. Phew!
15th March 2011
On the road again part 2.........
And ain't it going well? Having some great shows and a lot of fun whilst doing it!
13th March 2011
On the road again .........
Off to Cherwell District for a few days with "What A Waste!" , back Wednesday night. Good to get out with the show again - largely due to economic circumstances this area has been a bit thin.
12th March 2011
One down .........
Well, yesterday was the final day of the first part of the puppet project at "The Grove" The final performances by the kids were terrific, they really were. Now let's move onto the next stage, years 3-4.
5th March 2011
Old friends .........
We've just had the heavy tome that is our English Heritage contract through. They could save an entire Scandinavian Forest if they didn't use this contract. Anyway, the good news is that through the year we will be working with lots of old friends. People like Raphael Falconry.
Hautbois
and,of course, the one and only Windebagge
4th March 2011
Puppets, puppets .........
Everywhere. The projects at Grove are all going swimingly.
2nd March 2011
But the old favourites.........
.....still do the business! Had a great day at Rolleston School doing Robin Hood. Once again the kids responded wonderfully and the staff were full of praise.
24th February 2011
New show.........
Well the new show is on its way! Using the style we use for Robin Hood and so on, we're working on a Shakespeare show. Hopefully it will be loads of fun!
22nd February 2011
I love it when a plan.........
Regular readers of this occasional blog may recall me talking about mailshots and so on. They are bearing fruit! We have had a number of enquiries as a result, the most recent being another National Trust enquiry, this time from the lovely Rufford Old Hall near Ormskirk.
15th February 2011
So how are things looking?.........
Well pretty good actually. Loads of work in for the summer, could do with other people paying for work that has been done!
14th February 2011
Even More Sorry.........
I know it's been a long gap, but there is just so much going on at the moment. Making a shadow puppet theatre screen today. Always fun with my DIY!
2nd February 2011
Sorry.........
I know, it's been a long time since my last entry. Loads going on, busy mailshotting, puppeteering and all sorts. On top of that I'm off on holiday again at the weekend. This time to Meribel to pick up Jack.
25th January 2011
I'm back.........
James Brown! What a great holiday we had and now it's back with a vengeance. The Grove and Center Parcs today and a load of work in whilst we were away! This is what we like!
4th January 2011
I can feel it coming on.........
A mailshot is on the way. Had a load of History/Heritage publicity done in the autumn, I suppose now is the time to get things out there. Loads of clerical work ahead. Not at all exciting, but oh, so dull!
2nd January 2011
Made it..........
Although at times it felt a close run thing, especially at the New Year's Eve party.
So then 2011. A couple of new websites and a better blog perhaps? We shall wait and see.
30th December 2010
It's a funny old world..........
It's coming up to the time of year when we do not have to go out to perform quite so much, but it always ends up being incredibly busy. New material, mailshots etc, etc, throw in a holiday and the summer is here before we know it! Hurrah!
26th December 2010
Back on your heads............!
There you go, that was Christmas! All done and dusted for another year. Back to ghost walks tonight at Center Parcs. And they were FREEZING!!!!!!!! Possibly the coldest yet
24th December 2010
And there's NO more............!
That's it, Christmas is here. Just finished the last Breakfast with Santa at Center Parcs.
and so it's a day off tomorrow to eat, drink and be merry.
Merry Christmas!!!!
22nd December 2010
And there's more............
......snow that is! Yes, another big dump since the early hours this morning. Now I have two ghost walks at Center Parcs this evening and I hope I am able to get there. The roads around there are apparently a bit dodgy. I hope I can get through the thought of doing the ghost walks in the snow is really appealing.
20th December 2010
It's not getting any warmer............
In fact it's still freezing and apparently there's more snow on the way. I just hope we can get through things and don't have to cancel any work.
18th December 2010
Busy, busy............
Things are crazy at the moment, mostly at Center Parcs. It's everything from Breakfast With Santa, through Storytelling to Ghost walks, and it's cold!
11th December 2010
All gone!............
......the snow that is. It's amazing, one minute it was there and we were up to our eyes in it and then it's gone. More on the way though. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
8th December 2010
Yeeha!!............
37 days work with English Heritage next year. A return to many old favourites - Old Wardour, Conisborough and some new - Framlingham!
6th December 2010
The eternal question (part 2)............
Why is it that frequently the biggest organisations with the largest number of staff are the most difficult to get information for booked jobs out of? It is one of life's great mysteries. A mystery that we could do without, but nevertheless a mystery.
4th December 2010
The eternal question............
A pleasant little job in Letchworth today. Stilt-walking and Tobying in a shopping arcade. Not too busy. Gentle......
2nd December 2010
And there's more............
The country is up to its ears in snow! Now usually I love it. I always have loved the snow, but it's actually impinging rather heavily on work at the moment. Couldn't get to Center Parcs yesterday
...will be try6ing again today. Tomorrow Jack sets off for his season in France and we're meant to be stilt-walking in Letchworth on Saturday. It could be interesting on two fronts; firstly getting there and secondly stilt-walking in the snow could be interesting!
1st December 2010
Never mind the weather............
What a great few days. Ludlow was fabulous as ever. There was snow all around although Ludlow itself managed to escape the worst of that. We could see it on the hills over towards Wales.
It was however incredibly cold. It was so cold it was funny. It was so cold that one of the axes used by the Plantagenants cracked and shattered on impact.
We shared our digs with Rick and Helen from Hautbois
Great fun! Helen announced on Friday night she was counting her units and then on Saturday night she necked a bottle of red. Purely medicinal of course!
From there we went to Bromley in Kent, to Princes Plain Primary School for a Tudor day with "What-ho Henry!".
The snow came down.
It came down so hard that both the strength of the teaching staff and of the pupils grew progressively less. We arrived at 7.30 in the morning and there was nearly a foot of snow on our van when we left at 3.30. The journey home was a nightmare until we went under the Thames and then it mystically cleared and we had a reasonable journey home. Stilt-walking this weekend could be interesting!
24th November 2010
On the road again............
As I mentioned a couple of days ago, things are hotting up again workwise.
We're off to the lovely Ludlow Festival on Friday and then off to Greenwich for a revival of "What-ho Henry!"
23rd November 2010
A change of direction?............
Backalong in the summer I had a two day modelling job in London - well covered in my blog (www.classinacoat.typepad.com/my-blog) . Well today I have another job of similar ilk if not so romantic. This time it's a supermarket in Leicester.
22nd November 2010
Gird up ones loins!............
It's about to start............... Christmas that is. Lots of work all over starting this coming weekend with one of my favourite jobs the Ludlow Christmas Fair. Great people, stunning venue. What more can anyone ask for?
19th November 2010
First time hit............
Another new venture got off the ground yesterday, and in fine style. Gayna had her first storytelling session for munchkins at Center Parcs. She had an audience of about 80 with kids ranging from 1 to 10 and wowed them for an hour. Chalk it up baby!
17th November 2010
It's here............
The new publicity that is. It looks pretty good too, so now have to get the envelopes printed and off we go
14th November 2010
Remember, remember............
We had lunch in the Houses of Parliament on Friday. That's not bad for a couple of clowns is it? Not only that it was with a treasury minister! The impressiveness just goes on.....
9th November 2010
Right, stand back and take stock time............
Here we are at the little lull between the end of hallowe'en and bonfire night before the Christmas rush starts at the end of the month. Time to take a breath and start next year's show plans.
4th November 2010
New Publicity..........
Decided to go for some more new publicity. The same stuff last year did reasonably well, so let's see if we can up the ante a bit this year! Changing the colour and pushing the new historical murder mystery/treasure hunt. It's the way ahead!
3rd November 2010
Remember, remember..........
First firework night tonight at Center Parcs.
Never one of my favourite jobs, but one heck of a display!
1st November 2010
Pinch, punch..........
It has to be said a good few days' work. The ghost stories at Stamford were fun. Small but responsive audiences, Gayna's shows at Center Parcs went well and the day for the National Trust at Croft Castle yesterday was great. A stunning place to work.
28th October 2010
Trouble at t'..........
Printing.com, the guys who look after this site have had problems over the past couple of days, and I've been unable to add anything new to the site. Let's hope everything is back and running well now!
25th October 2010
Busy, busy..........
Well ghost walks are in full swing and Gayna's one man show seems to be coming together well. It's all heads down for a another couple of weeks. This is what we like!
22nd October 2010
Seems to be working..........
On my Toastmaster website, www.classinacoat.co.uk , I've been trying out pay per click. The increase in traffic has been staggering. Must be something to try here. Can become very expensive though, and the categories would have to be so well thought out.
19th October 2010
Something new..........
A really positive mail from English Heritage yesterday. They've commissioned a new show for next year - Shakespeare based, and another one about the Romans for 2012! Brilliant! Now all we have to do is write them!
17th October 2010
More technology woes..........
Now it's iPod
Apple seem to have changed their operating system and now I cannot seem to choose what I put on my iPod. Grrrrrr. As you may have guessed I am very unhappy about this.
16th October 2010
Still no sign..........
The bloomin' laptop hasn't arrived yet - nor is there any sign of it! Grrrrrrrrrrrrr
15th October 2010
It's that time of year again..........
Hallowe'en!
So it's ghost story time - and loads of them. Ranging from the National Trust and Center Parcs to Stamford Arts Centre. A busy time, but should be loads of fun.
12th October 2010
All good news..........
Another couple of bookings in from the mailshot - brilliant. Nice and local too as we go to Hose Primary School in December with Robin Hood. A tiny school - 50 pupils in total!
4th October 2010
The times we live in..............
At long last we have succumbed and decided to drag ourselves into the 20th century by buying a laptop. Did the research, looked for the best price and paid to an internet company. Nothing arrived for over a week - getting panicky. On Friday a DHL van arrived and delivered a very flat envelope. In it was a ticket to a performance in a theatre in Bologna. This was not a laptop. Someone in Italy is sitting there chasing up their lost ticket on our laptop. I will keep you posted. At the moment it's all in the hands of Paypal. I'm not sure how confident this makes me feel.
3rd October 2010
New stuff..............
Had a really competitive quote in for one of the new ideas. Keep your eyes on this space. Hugely interactive and no-one else doing it. This is what we like.
30th September 2010
Busy, busy..............
....................and trying to get busier. Been doing a massive mailshot with the new publicity. Yesterday posted over 100 letters to local schools - more to do today. Still keeps the Post Office in business!
29th September 2010
Busy, busy..............
Even though we don't seem to be going out working a lot this week it certainly seems busy. Next year is looking a little iffy with all the coalition cutbacks and so on, so we are trying to offer as wide a range of services as possible. Let's hope it pays off!
28th September 2010
More new stuff..............
Having some great ideas for the English Heritage work, everything from dancing to Knights in Armour.
26th September 2010
New stuff..............
An historical murder mystery for English Heritage. This could be a lot of fun. Hopefully it will give venues a lot more flexibility during an event day.
23rd September 2010
Promotion part 3..............
Thinking of having a go with a pay per click scheme to see if that brings anything in. A brilliant meeting with English Heritage yesterday. Hopefully this means more work with them next year. Will need a few new shows though!
22nd September 2010
Promotion part 2..............
Well response - two bookings from the mailshot so far. Can't be bad!
16th September 2010
Promotion..................
Did the job in Hull yesterday, had to get up at stupid o'clock to get there on time. Anyway We turned up and I was in the brown Robin Hood show costume
Now it must be remembered this is a Catholic School and the Pope is on a visit, so mighty religious figures are very much in the kid's minds. Well, we arrived at the same time as the kids and one of them was heard to ask "Is that God?" Far be it from me to argue!!
11th September 2010
It works..................
Off to Hull on Wednesday with Robin Hood. A booking generated by the website! Nice to know it works occasionally.
8th September 2010
Highly recommended..................
Plans for a few days away on the BSA were scuppered by a dodgy weather forecast, however a trip to London was chosen as an alternative and great fun was had by all! One of the highlights was a visit to the Criterion Theatre to see "39 Steps"
Absolutely brilliant! It was fast and fun.
4th September 2010
Somewhere New..................
And wasn't it fine! Norwich really took our fancy, a lovely city full of old churches and restaurants.
The job was pretty good too! And they want us back or next year - always a good sign.
1st September 2010
Somewhere New..................
Now we've been doing this job for a long time (impossible I hear you cry - you are not old enough to have been doing anything for a long time - you are too kind), and as a consequence, there are not many areas we have not been to. Norwich is one of them. We are off to Norwich on Thursday for a job resulting from our purple mailshot earlier this year. We're doing Henry, Nelson and one other. Not done Henry for a year so much rehearsal is called for!
31st August 2010
A bonkers weekend, part 2..................
Well we survived, and actually it was a lot of fun. The wedding on Saturday was great, the trip to Lancashire was memorable for the apocalyptic rain we drove through, although the day cleared up for the show and the event in Banbury was cool. Freddie behaved perfectly and the audiences were great. What more could a clown ask for?
27th August 2010
A bonkers weekend..................
A bank holiday with a vengeance. Tomorrow (Saturday) a Toastmaster job at Rufford Abbey, from there it's with the fire-engine up to Nelson in Lancashire and then on Monday with the fire-engine down to Banbury. A lot of work, but a good earner - at least I hope it will be!
23rd August 2010
A fine day..................
It's been a pretty poor August. It has been wet, but not only that, we've not had many bright days in between. However, yesterday at the lovely Nunnington Hall there was a blip in this pattern and we had a gorgeous day, weather-wise and work-wise. The new kids' archery sesson went brilliantly well and will definitely be something to add!
21st August 2010
More Robin..................
I know, there does seem to be a lot of it, but hey, it pays the bills! Off to another regular (annual) booking tomorrow. This time for the National Trust at the gorgeous Nunnington Hall up in t'North Yorkshire.
19th August 2010
More Robin..................
A good day in Paignton. We were working at the Paignton Children's week. It's about the third time we've worked there and it really is a nice festival. We worked with Pinxtons Puppets.
We bump into Pinxtons occasionally and they are a bit like us. Been around for ages and offering a good product for a particular market. A lovely, gentle series of shows. partly based upon nursery rhymes in a lovely mobile set up.
17th August 2010
More Robin..................
This time in Devon.............................. yep, we are off to Paignton for a day!
14th August 2010
More Robin..................
Off to Sandwell tomorrow with Robin Hood. It's a new client, which is always good and looks to be a pretty big event. I just hope the weather is not as persistent as it is today! Stop press......... Fabulous weather, not an enormous crowd though!
13th August 2010
All change, no change..................
Well last week was spent, as mentioned in Sherwood Forest. To a large extent so has this week. I've been working with a different set of people, some families from Rotherham. It was really good. Got away with the weather again and had lots of fun. Sounds like the perfect recipe.
9th August 2010
It's all gone swimmingly..................
Back from the festival and it was GREAT!! Weather was a bit iffy at times, but we just about managed to get away with it.
5th August 2010
It's all going swimmingly..................
Just popped back from the Robin Hood Festival. I have a job as a Toastmaster tomorrow in Rutland.
so Gayna is covering all the shows herself. However a quick update to let you know everything is going well. The new show "Robin's Merriest Men" is going well and today we had an e-mail enquiry after a performance. This is what we like to see!
27th July 2010
Another Festival!..................
And it's a beauty! The Robin Hood Festival is all next week. Naturally enough it is in the sublime Sherwood Forest
We are there all week and working with some of our favourite people. "What a Palaver", "Legends," "The Singing Plague Victims"
to name a few. However.........., there are a fw problems occurring. The guy who plays Robin Hood for Legends broke his leg whilst practising, and Hanneke, on of the leading lights of the "Crazy Dutch Regulars"
has had to go into hospital and so is unlikely to make all of the festival. This will be a sad loss! They are the international element and always great fun. All this and Billy of Loxley too! What more can any reasonable person ask for?
25th July 2010
Festival!..................
Well, loads happened. There were projectile vomiters, and mobile 'phones passing the message for Trafalgar.
Suffice it to say that a good time was had by all. Big, appreciative audiences.
19th July 2010
Wow!..................
A great and very exciting weekend. More when I come back from a few day's hols!
16th July 2010
Thick and fast..................
It's that time of year when all kinds of our favourite jobs crop up. This weekend it's English Heritage's "Festival of History" It is brilliant, especially if the weather holds out, fingers crossed.
15th July 2010
Sick fire-engine..................
But an appointment has been made with the fire-engine physician (or should that be Fysician for comic effect?) Hopefully he will be back in business before too long.
In the meantime just recovering from Fristock where a good time was had by all. Managed a bit of spooky stiltwalking. Worth clicking on the link and looking at the pics.
5th July 2010
Sick fire-engine..................
Freddie is sick. We had a show at Croft up in Cheshire on Saturday, we got into the arena for our first show and Freddie's clutch went. This was not A Good Thing. Luckily that was the last show for a week or two so hopefully he will be fixed in time.
1st July 2010
Wild..................
Had a couple of very different, very lively, but fun shows in Leicester on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Firstly at Rolleston Primary School we did a Tudor dance workshop.
(I'm the one with the well-turned calf) It was great. We had to coach three groups of kids to do a dance for their banquet which was the culmination of their Tudor project. Huge amounts of fun as we had the parents in there too.
Secondly was at South Wigston High School with Robin Hood. Out of our comfort zone here with older kids. It was wild. At times we were holding on by our fingertips, but it was still a hoot. Lovely response, but more of that later!
Monday 21st June 2010
Off again..................
Almost the same as the last entry - off again to Cherwell. Another great couple of shows at the weekend with Freddie the Fire-engine and it was warm. This already makes it an improvement on last summer!
Wednesday 16th June 2010
Off again..................
Back to Cherwell for another couple of days with "What A Waste!". Had some lovely letters from one of last week's schools
."I'm more aware of the need to work as a team with others from the local community to reduce waste" Travis yr 5
"It was fun, I learnt more about recycling, reusing and composting" Daniel yr 5
"It was great fun, I helped them set everything up" Ellen yr 5
"It was hilarious, it reminded you of recycling in a fun way rather than in a boring way like your Mum might tell you" Charlotte (yr 6)
"I learnt a lot about the importance of not wasting things. Things I did know but I had forgotten" Karina Yr 5
Must be doing something right!!!!! Bet Charlotte's mum wouldn't be too chuffed though!!!!!
Tuesday 15th June 2010
New publicity..................
And it's very ORANGE!!!!!
Monday 14th June 2010
Busy, busy, busy..................
Things not letting up! Last weekend we were out with Freddie for the first time, as mentioned earlier. Fabulous first show and then the heavens opened with the mother and father of all thunderstorms. Ended up coming home early. Yesterday it was our third trip to Scunthorpe for the Corus Steel Gala. Great do with reasonable weather and a couple of cracking shows. We love it!
Friday 8th June 2010
Happy Birthday - ish..................
This website is about a year old now. We've had about 12,000 hits. Pretty good huh?
Thursday 3rd June 2010
Oh dear..................
This is a great business to work in, especially when things are going well. However, it is not a particularly easy one at times and it does not need a few people to appear to act as charlatans in the way that George Sycamore of Newark and Sherwood District Council has recently done to make it more difficult.
Seeming to book people and agreeing a fee, then going quiet until it appears too late for the acts to get any other work and then telling them he is not going to pay the full fee, but a much reduced one does not seem ethical. It wasn't just us, but also to our friends Rob and Ian from "What A Palaver!". These are just the ones we know about. Equity might be getting a call!
Wednesday 2nd June 2010
First of the year..................
The first Freddie the Fire-engine show of the year this weekend!
This means It Is Now Summer. This is A Good Thing. We are in Kings Lynn and the sun is set to shine, so hopefully by the end of our show there will be lots of happy and wet spectators!
Sunday 30th May 2010
What a week!..................
It was fantastic! We resumed an association with Stephen Hales, a head-teacher we first worked with over twenty years ago. He is very clever and very open and innovative. I onlty wish my son had had a head-teacher like him.
As with all of Steve's schools the kids were delightful. Open, questioning and responsive and the staff enthusiastic and supportive. The shows in both schools, Burnham Market and Walsingham, were terrific. I'm hoping to have some pictures here soon.
Friday 21st May 2010
Phew..................
Just back from a ten show week in Wychavon and it has turned very warm!!!!! We werte both decidedly smelly by the time we got home this evening! Long may it last.
Sunday 16th May 2010
Successfully negotiated..................
Strike one! Despite her dodgy arm Gayna coped brilliantly with the shows at Nottingham Castle today. Venue was lovely, but audiences were a little thin. Still the Robin Hood bit worked. Able to gert in a gag about Russell Crowe's Irish accent!
Saturday 15th May 2010
Interesting times..................
Interesting times indeed. Gayna fell off her stilts at a job a few weeks ago. She seemed OK, just a bit of a sore arm. It didn't improve. Yesterday she went to have it checked out. BROKEN!
This is a bit of a pain (literally) since we are incredibly busy. We are away all next week in schools in Wychavon with "What A Waste!". We've decided to give it a go and see how we get on. Things will be slow for get ins and so on and some of the routines will need tweaking. If it doesn't work then we'll be home early!
More immediate though is a dose of Robin Hood tomorrow at Nottingham Castle.
May is "Robin Hood Month" in Nottinghamshire. It's to jump onto the launch of the new Robin Hood film with Russell Crowe.
From the trailers I've seen it's a bit like Gladiator with tights. Not that there's anything wrong with that. Hopefully it will mean a fair bit more work!
Friday 14th May 2010
Grand Finale........almost
My last official day at The Grove yesterday for "The Grove Motor Show" It was great. Loads of parents came in to see the work the kids had done, which was fabulous and a good time was had by all. The two projects I have had at "The Grove",
the kite building and the motor show, have been fantastic. The whole thing was a beacon example of the way that Creative Partnerships should work. The staff were receptive and supportive an both projects became real partnerships. The whole thing was an absolute pleasure to work on.
Thursday 13th May 2010
Sorted..............................
Well the government bit is sorted - Tory/LibDem Pact. Apparently the Olympic funding is already under threat.......
But back to real life. Had another few days away with "What A Waste!" in Wychavon. Set the smoke alarms off in one school and caused an entire school evacuation. A hoot! Apparently they needed to test their new system and everyone thought it was great fun! More anon.
Friday 7th May 2010
Do we need a crystal ball?..............................?
Yesterday was a general election and nobody won. I mean. what's the point of having a general election if nobody wins? Does this mean the whole thing was a waste of time? We were in Wychavon doing "What A Waste!" and postal voted.
In these financially straitened times it will be interesting to see how the arts fare. According to the manifestos there was only one party that held out any kind of resourcing promise to the arts, and they've not done very well. Pish-tush
Monday 3rd May 2010
What could possibly..............................?
I'm hoping Gayna is going to write a little more fully, but she and Lenni had a riot of a Robin Hood show on Saturday.
It was at a village fete in Northamptonshire. Firstly, they were expected to perform on a postage-stamp sized piece of land behind a shed, then no-one could get into the ground because one of the carnival floats blocked the entrance completely, and that was just the start!
Saturday 1st May 2010
And there's more............
And this one's from the boss...................
I just wanted to drop you a quick email to thank you for all your hard work at the weekend, the feedback regarding your performances has been fantastic as usual and it was great to see your new material.
Friday 30th April 2010
Always nice............
It is always nice to receive compliments about our work, and particularly so when someone takes the trouble to write to you. This arrived during the week about last weekend:
My family and I enjoyed "Robin Hood" and "Don't Mess With Bess" at Wrest Park this year. We've been coming for several years now and your shows are always a highlight (my own favourite is Horatio!) See you next year I hope!
Monday 26th April 2010
Quite a weekend............
Bit of a mixed weekend I suppose. Off to a really bad start with both the car and the van proving VERY unreliable. This was annoying, especially since I had just picked the van up from being serviced. The work at Wrest Park was fabulous and the weather on Saturday was glorious. Sunday was a little more dodgy and it rained just in time for us to put all the kit away wet! However, we arrived home last night to receive the following delightful e-mail:
My family and I enjoyed "Robin Hood" and "Don't Mess With Bess" at Wrest Park this year. We've been coming for several years now and your shows are always a highlight (my own favourite is Horatio!) See you next year I hope!
The moral of the tale is that no matter how bad things can get with your cars, someone will always cheer you up!
Friday 23rd April 2010
Happy Birthday..............
..............to William Shakespeare!! Yep, it's the bard's birthday today. Not only that it's also St George's Day which means it's Wrest Park weekend!
Now does that or does that not look a pretty cool place to work? We are there with Heroes, Heroines and Hoods for English Heritage. Just hoping for some good weather.
Monday 19th April 2010
Back to what we know..............
Creative Partners back in full swing. I'm at The Grove at the start of the week, pushing on with the vehicles project and Gayna is at Hazel continuing with her Leicester project. Mixed bags really - I've been having a great time, Gayna has really been having to work hard.
Friday 16th April 2010
And now for something...............
Off for an audition for a TV advert today. Who said life was dull?
Wednesday 14th April 2010
A time trip..................
A busy day for Gayna today with some of her Creative Partnership work at Hazel School. She went with a bunch of kids to the Abbey Pumping Station and the National Space Centre.
How's that for a time spread to test the kids? Apparently a good time was had by all!
Tuesday 13th April 2010
And there's more........................
It really is great working in these places - just imagine, having a good time, doing circus tricks on the green of a thousand year old castle!
Monday 12th April 2010
Camera found!.............................
Just to prove we were there with the people we were with!
Firstly a picture of us doing Horatio at Dover..........
Friday 9th April 2010
What a week!.............................
It was great, but very, very cold!
The stilt-walking went well - we got rid of nearly 2000 (yes, that's two thousand) chocolate eggs very kindly donated by Lindt, and not only that, Tigers really tucked it up Bath!
Dover was great but freezing. Some lovely shows to over 8,000 visitors. There will be pictures, but I can't find the camera at the moment.
Friday 2nd April 2010
Busy times.............................
Happy Easter to all our readers!!!
What a busy weekend we have coming up. Let's hope the weather picks up. Starting tomorrow we are stilt-walking for the NSPCC at Welford Road before and during the Tigers-Bath game.
Will be quite interesting. When I stilt-walked at Birmingham City before a football match I did receive a lot of abuse. I wonder if it will be the same tomorrow. I think not.
Then we go from there to Dover Castle
for our first English Heritage job of the year. This has become an annual event and is a fabulous childrens' festival. We will also be meeting up and working with some old friends, most notably the fabulous Wyndebagge
and quite possibly the clinically insane
I'll let you know how things go when we get back!
Wednesday 31st March 2010
Is there any hope?..........................
There has been a long gap between edits here - I have had computer problems, and we all know how much I love computers..........NOT!!!!!!!!!
Besides all these problems, we have been incredibly busy. Gayna has been projecting away at Hazel School and I have been doing the same at The Grove for Creative Partners. I have finished the first project about kites at Grove - it was brilliant! Last Friday I had nearly sixty kites that the kids had made all flting. It was fabulousy colourful. I hope to have some pics here soon.
We have also been away with "What a Waste!" at schools in Cherwell Council area.
The shows went very well and the council have booked another twelve so, as you can imagine, we were mighty chuffed.
However, we had the question of our career. The way the above tours work is like this...... The council contacts the schools and writes to them, telling them that Bozo and Zizi the Clowns are coming to their school on such and such a date at such and such a time to perform their environmental show, "What A Waste!" On this particular day we turned up at the appropriate time at the appropriate school. We walked into the reception...... bright clothes, big boots, red noses. "Hello, we're the Clowns" we said cheerily.
"Have you any ID?" came the oh so serious response.
Is there any hope?
Tuesday 16th March 2010
Coming or going..........................
I am so busy at the moment I am struggling to keep the old website up to date. The Kites at The Grove are reaching a climax - the Sea in the Sky idea is taking shape and we're getting ready for the big fly-in, and yesterday I started work on the transport project with the other group and I've had half a dozen cracking lessons and some super poetry out of them. Gayna is equally busy at Hazel School and was busy doing circus workshops today at a primary school in Leicester,
a job courtesy of this good old website. Keep up the good work!
Wednesday 10th March 2010
Be afraid, be very..........................
The Vikings are coming
Saturday 6th March 2010
Busy, busy................................
Well, I have had a busy week with the kite project at The Grove and it seems to be going pretty well. The biggest problem I've had so far is that there has been no wind! What's the point of making a kite if there's no wind?!
Saturday 27th February 2010
Yorkshire Robin........................
Had a fantastic day at Allerton Primary School in Bradford yesterday. Spent the day doing Robin Hood type things with a lovely bunch of year 3/4 kids. The best bit was the kid who had his Robin Hood hat sellotaped to his head.
Thursday 25th February 2010
Off to a flyer..............................
Started the kite project today at "The Grove". Great day and made loads and loads of kites! This is A Good Thing. Looking forward to round 2 on Monday!
Monday 22nd February 2010
When the north wind doth blow...........
Well, we're off to Banbury with the environmental show this week, but the environment could beat us!!! Loads of snow forecast!
Monday 15th February 2010
What a disappointment.........................
York was, as ever, fabulous. It is lovely to walk around a place and see lots of one-off little shops and not just be hit by the usual array of shop fronts that mean you could be anywhere in the UK.
However............................................................................................................................. Jorvik was DULL. No enthusiasm, very little information and incredibly dry. I have to say that if we do decide to write a show about the Vikings, it will be more informative and much, much more FUN.
Sunday 14th February 2010
On the other hand.........................
After visiting the English Heritage Shop in Carlisle Castle today
and seeing the emphasis of their children's literature, it could be the Romans that get this year's bZ treatment!
Friday 12th February 2010
Great Fun..........................
The kite project that I am about to start at The Grove in Melton looks fun. Not only will I be making loads of kites, but we are aiming to end up with a "Sea in the Sky theme, where we make loads of kites that look like sea creatures and fly them in the sky..... Sea in the Sky!! Funky huh?
Thursday 10th February 2010
A hit................
The purple mailshot is hitting council desks - one enquiry from South Norfolk and one from Yorkshire.
Wednesday 9th February 2010
A sort of day out................
Now as some of you may know we try to create a new project/show each year. We also never throw anything away so we have an enormous props and costume store as well as a vast number of different shows and routines up our sleeves. This year is no different and this year it's going to be ..............................
THE VIKINGS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Our extensive market research (joke, we've heard a couple of whispers) suggests that there is a bit of an opening for primary school viking work, so we thought we'd give it a go and come up with a Robin Hood style show, but about vikings (This is begining to ramble isn't it?) ANYWAY....... We're off to York on Monday to go to the Jorvik Centre for a bit of jolly research. It's jolly research because we are doing research whilst having a bit of a jolly!
On another front, we've had four fire-engine bookings so far this week. In fact we've had a lot of work in this week. Nothing today yet though. Still, the day is yet young!
Sunday 7th February 2010
All of a sudden................
More fire-engine and other stuff in. All of a sudden what looked like a thin wall calendar is filling up.
Friday 5th February 2010
A steady trickle.................
Well, there's been a steady stream of work coming in this week, which is brilliant. The first fire-engine show definitely booked through Tony Yorke, this is good. Hopefully more will be on the way!
Tuesday 2nd February 2010
Another good day....................
Well yesterday was anyway! Several jobs coming in for all kinds of work. One of them was for a Freddie show up near Manchester. We were booked for the same show in the monsoon summer of 2008. It was a lovely show, but he conditions were dreadful. Freddie sank up to his axles when we drove onto the field.
Sunday 31st January 2010
Back to it....................
Busy week coming up for both of us. Back to the grindstone! Start with kite meetings at Grove on Tuesday. Raring to go!
Friday 29th January 2010
Home again................
Well we're back after a great week away, and a fair few job enquiries and bookings through too. Always good news.
Thursday 21st January 2010
A good day again................
It's a good day because we are going on holiday tomorrow!! Whooo-hooo!
Tuesday 19th January 2010
A good day................
Well, The Grove came in with the Kite-making project, which is brilliant. What is even more brilliant is that they've asked me to take a look at another project they are considering, so that is all looking good. Not only that, an enquiry came in for Freddie
for Spring Bank holiday Monday. Keep it coming!
Monday 18th January 2010
One to go..................
And that's where Gayna is now in the lovely town of Stamford.
Well, we're putting in the time on these, and this is probably the most difficult. Anyway, if a couple of them come off it should be pretty good.
Saturday 16th January 2010
One to go...................
Well I had my kite interview at Grove yesterday - all seemed to go pretty well, should know next week. Just Gayna's interview in Stamford on Monday to go. It would be good to get a couple of these under our belt!
Thursday 14th January 2010
One down...................
Well, just had my first interview at Abbey School. Another one of these fantastic Victorian/Edwardian inner city schools. What a brilliant building. I know it won't be particularly eco-friendly but nevertheless such a huge building with high ceilings and so many other attributes that just would not be entertained today. Also, an absolute warren of a place.
Wednesday 13th January 2010
More interviews...................
This time for Gayna over at Stamford. An environmental theme for this one - right up our street. Will probably start with a performance of "What A Waste!"
and take it from there.
Monday 11th January 2010
We've still got the weather...................
Well still managing to earn a bit even though the weather is not making it too easy. On Saturday we started our latest stint at Center Parcs. It was back to where we all started with the free kids' shows and it was a bit of a laugh, and a big improvement on the audience size from the last time we did one of these.
So now it's the big push through to the summer. Work does seem a little harder to come by, although we've had some interesting enquiries, including the commissioning of a new environmental show for Cherwell Council which is pleasing. Also this week I've a couple of interviews for Creative Partners jobs. One of them at Abbey School in Leicester and the other a course making kites at The Grove in Melton.
That's one I would love to do, so I hope I get it. I will let you know of the outcome. It's quite hard going back to being interviewed again. There must be something very deeply psychological there.
Wednesday 6th January 2010
Even more weather...................
It's great! I'm off to try and take a picture of the village from our bedroom window to put on here.
Hey, that worked! Am I getting the hang of this technology lark? Don't hold your breath!
A downside though...CRBs. These things are totally and utterly ridiculous and are just another symptom of nanny-state over-government. It used to be the case that in weather like this, if teachers could not get into their own school they would report in to the nearest open school to them. This was a good thing. It meant that there was a kind of even-ing out process going on and that most schools could stay open. This is no longer the case. CRBs for teachers are site specific and so they cannot go to work in another school and so schools have to close, people have to stay at home to look after the kids, wage packets and companies are disrupted and the economy which, let's face it, is a little fragile suffers. Genius.
Tuesday 6th January 2010
The weather...................
Well I'm English and I'm allowed to talk about it. We are up to our ears in snow!!!!
Friday 1st January 2010
Nearly there...................
Wonderful crisp bright day. A Happy New Year to everyone
Wednesday 30th December
Weather watch...................
Well a couple of ghost walks booked for this evening, but the weather is vile.
When I was driving home from Thoresby yesterday evening the snow was a-falling and by the time I went to bed there was a lovely white covering everywhere. "Great!" I thought, just right for the walks through Sherwood Forest tomorrow night. All turned to rain, no snow, horrible under foot and it's blowing a hooley! Ah well, the best laid plans of mice and men eh?
.............................day 28th December 2009
What day is it?....................
I know it's the 28th, but I couldn't tell you what day it is. Been good so far, Christmas Day was a bit of an oasis in the middle of it all. Had a day off today - small, but very select, ghost walk yesterday evening. A Toastmaster job tomorrow at Thoresby Hall.
Rolling beginning to pick up momentum again.......................
Last bit of a breather before Christmas starts in earnest. Big day at Center Parcs tomorrow, there all day, finishing up on my own doing a couple of late ghost walks. With the light dusting of snow we still have it should be pretty cool out in the snowy forest (in every way
)
I really like the ghost walks and I also really like the Victorian character, Mr Squires, I use for this walk. It's all a bit of a crossover between my entertainment work and my Toastmaster work.
Sunday 20th December 2009
The rolling has slows down for a couple of days...........................
Zizi's Birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Big celebrations. It's snowy, it's Christmassy and it's birthday time. No shows for a couple of days, but have had an enquiry from the new publicity mail shot to the National Trust at Croft Castle.
This is A Good Day.
Saturday 19th December 2009
This rolling along is getting downright dangerous! .............................
The first "Breakfast With Santa" today. Not too bad. Fidget the Fairy was, of course brilliant, but not sure about the outlaw. His accent roamed around Norfolk and then the South west, occasionally breaking into Irish. A gentle introduction today - another 90 people on Thursday. Perhaps a triumph of avarice over reason?
Thursday 17th December 2009
Christmas is rolling along at a breakneck speed .............................
Whoa!!!!! This is a hoot. Robert Mellors School was the venue for "Oh Yes It Is!" on Tuesday and we're off to Thorns School in Kenilworth today.
That'll be the end of the schools' shows for this year and we start the "Breakfast with Santa" malarkey at Center Parcs on Saturday, leading into Mr Squires ghost walks.
Monday 14th December 2009
Christmas is rolling along .............................
Great day at Pinchbeck, and not only that they've booked us for a King Arthur day at the end of next term. That's what we like to hear!
Saturday 11th December 2009
Christmas has started .............................
It was great fun! Everyone, staff and kids alike loved the show, and we seemed to have so much material. I don't know if it's all a part of "as you get older you work smarter", but we just had so much material. Years ago we would get to 45-50 minutes and run out of stuff, now we are having to cut things. I hope it's this and not the fact that now we are older and move more slowly so that we cannot get through routines so quickly!
Monday morning we are up bright and early to go to Pinchbeck School in Spalding. Long drive, early start. Hey ho!
Thursday 10th December 2009
Christmas is starting.............................
First "Oh YesIt Is!" show tomorrow in the big Christmas build up. Long time since we've done an hour's clown show - should be a hoot! We're off to St John's School in Worksop
Tuesday 8th December 2009
Decisions, decisions.............................
Big decision day today. For the past few years at Center Parcs we have worked a "Breakfast With Santa. All jolly good fun, Gayna has been Fidget the Fairy
...and I have been a thoroughly rehabilitated and very loveable Captain Hook, not like this old scoundrel at all...
Anyway, something different this year is required of me, not the others, just me! It looks as though it could be a Sherwood Outlaw. Should be able to do something with that.
Monday 7th December 2009
Weather.............................
Now, I know it's fairly seasonal, but I'm getting fed up with it being so wet. It's chucking it down again now and it's only 18 days to Christmas! Bah! Humbug!
Thursday 3rd December 2009
An old friend surfaces..............................
It was great to hear earlier in the week from an old friend, Stephen Hales. We've done lots of work over the years for Stephen, following him around the country from Leicestershire to Cambridgeshire to Norfolk. well he's now Headteacher of Burnham Market Primary School way over in hilly Norfolkshire and he's booked us for three days next May. Steve is one of those inspirational heads that you always wished you'd had as a kid. It will be great to hook up with him again. We are doing one performance of "Horatio's Last Hurrah!"
Have to really since this is where the great man was born, and then a series of circus workshops leading up to a kid's show at the end. In artistic terms this is a "residency". Impressed huh? All a load of twaddle to me.
Friday 1st December 2009
Back from work!....................................
What a fabulous weekend's work in Ludlow. We just about got away with the weather, it was chilly and damp but nothing like the torrential rain forecast and apparently on Saturday they had something like 14500 people through the gates. We had a ball. We shared the stage (and digs) with our good friends Rob and Ian from "What A Palaver"
Alan Kirkpatrick from "No Strings Puppets" and some superb looking re-enactors from "The Plantagenants "
And all in the fabulous surroundings of Ludlow Castle
Thursday 26th November 2009
Back to work!....................................
Back after a fabulous couple of days in Potsdam with our friends Paul and Ulriche. They have built a Huf Haus which is stunning. Anyway, we're back and off again. This weekend is the Ludlow Festival which is BRILLIANT!
It's at Ludlow Castle which is stunning. Hopefully there is a picture here somewhere.
It is a wonderful festival and is part-organised by our good friend Wyndebagge .
If you have a chance, be there.
Wednesday 18th November 2009
Bad computer day...................................
Yesterday was a bad computer day. Those of you who are familiar with me and my travails in maintaining our other site, "Class In A Coat", that site for all things in the world of Toastmasters, (there was to be a picture here, but the computer isn't letting me put the chosen picture in grrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.), will know that Computers and I don't get along very well.
 It has now!
Yesterday I did a DB of an entry about our new publicity. All singing, all dancing. Loads of pics, witty, informative. Then the computer ate it before I could save it. So you haven't got it. All I can say is that it is the world of great literature's loss. I might try to recreate it today, but I'm still feeling a little piqued.
Right then, the new publicity................... pretty cool. We are having a big paper publicity push this year. As well as the new schools' programme publicity we have just had delivered our events stuff. It's aimed at people like English Heritage and The National Trust as well as sundry castles and stately homes.
It's telling about the stuff we already have, but is also promoting our new project for 2010 which is the "Time Travellers' Mystery Trail". Basically this is a kind of treasure hunt with clues and performances designed so that there is not a set starting time. This means that sites can have something going on all day and we don't have to have kittens if there isn't a big enough audience at any given time. The other thing about it is that we are aiming to make it adaptable for different periods. For instance, medieval:
Tudor:
 Well, they scare me...
Victorian:
 We're hoping she'd be a little bit amused...
and even Roman:
 Work it out.................
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