Fringe preview: Bard & Troubadour

Specialists in entertaining children with an inventive brand of fairy tales, puppetry and props, Bard & Troubadour will be performing their acclaimed Thumbelina at the Guildford Fringe. William Gadsby Peet finds out more

  • How did Bard & Troubadour come about?

About five years ago the two of us met performing in a Shakespeare in the park show in Brighton. We loved working together and really sparked off one another. We spent our time out of rehearsals sharing ideas for storytelling shows, and really wanted to make some theatre that all ages could enjoy, so over that year we started building the theatre company and our first show, Thumbelina.

  • What do you enjoy most about performing theatre for kids?

Every show is a new surprise! Because our shows involve us talking to the audience, getting them to shout out and dance and really be part of the story, there's always new and different responses. It's like a stepping stone between a theatre and improv show, so it's great fun as an actor. It's also such a lovely thing to see families enjoying the show together, where the grown ups are laughing as much as the kids. That community feeling with everyone together really is magic.

  • How do you write adventures that capture the imagination?

Often it comes down to just letting the traditional story we're working with shine through – there's a reason these tales have lasted as long as they have. They are already jam packed with action, excitement, jeopardy and silliness. Beyond that, we definitely borrow from panto traditions – if our audience isn't being encouraged to boo the villain, they're shouting "It's behind you!" or helping the hero make their choices. Having the audience so actively involved helps bring the story to life.

  • What do local children have to look forward to with your shows?

A singing, dancing, sword fighting cat, a ninja princess, a tiny king with a horse called Aardvark, an evil ogre with magical powers, a girl no bigger than a thumb, a dastardly frog, a squadron of stag beetles, a sinister mole and a swallow who learns how to fly again!

  • Favourite fairy tale and why?

Amy's favourite fairy tale to tell is The Emperor's Ears, where an emperor has his hair cut only once a year, and the barber who cut his hair is put to death the next day so he can never reveal the secret of what he saw... until there is only one barber left in the kingdom. "It's got everything I like in a story: mystery, danger, laughs, fun characters, and a variety of endings, so you can choose which version you want to tell each time.

Josh's favourite fairy tale is The Three Little Pigs, "Because it's the best story ever written: a parable about leaving home, sound economic advice about house building; a villain with clear and consistent motivation, a host of minor characters with comedy accents, and a gruesome death at the end for everyone to cheer at."

Bard & Troubadour bring their children's show Thumbelina to the G Live on July 28. For more information and to book tickets (£10.50), visit: glive.co.uk

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