Presents…
Marketing Pack
UK Tour 2007
Contents
1. Sample Press Release
2. Sample Schools Letter
3. Box Office Brief
4. Company, Cast and Creative Team Information
5. Tour Contacts
6. Tour Schedule
7. Brochure Copy
8. Website and Image Details
1. Sample Press Release
A Tall Stories production
UK Tour 2007
There are strange noises in the attic...
William is a young boy with a lot of imagination. Grandpa is an old man with
none. Staying with grumpy Grandpa for the first time, William hears
monstrous music coming out of the darkness in his spooky attic bedroom.
How will William ever get to sleep when there are monsters hiding in the
walls?
Following the national and international successes of The Gruffalo and The
Snow Dragon, Tall Stories returns with a brand new show for ages three and
up. Storytelling, comedy and songs create a riotous world where friends are
found in unlikely places...
“Tall Stories sets the benchmark for children’s theatre” Sunday Times
Running Time: 50 mins
Ages: 3+
For all press enquiries, interviews and features please contact
info@tallstories.org.uk or call 01895 638922
2. Sample Schools Letter
Dear Teacher
Tall Stories Theatre Company comes to a Venue near you!
Looking for a theatre trip for your class?
Want to take your little monsters to a show full of fun and music?
Want to educate and inspire your class all at the same time?
Tall Stories, the creators of the stage versions of The Gruffalo and The
Gruffalo’s Child are to coming to
on
with their brand new show…
The show tells the story of William, a young boy with a lot of imagination and
his Grandpa who is an old man with none. William is staying with grumpy
Grandpa for the first time, and tries to go to sleep in his spooky attic room. But
monstrous music is coming out of the darkness...
How will William ever get to sleep when there are monsters hiding in the
walls?
Following national and international success Tall Stories returns with a brand
new show for ages three and up. Storytelling, comedy and songs create a
riotous world where friends are found in unlikely places...
“Tall Stories sets the benchmark for children’s theatre” Sunday Times
Running time: 50 minutes
Ages: 3+
If you would like more information or would like to book tickets please contact:
3. Box Office Brief
o Monster Hits is a brand new show by the acclaimed children’s theatre
company, Tall Stories.
o Tall Stories use a physical story telling style combined with original
music to create a lively theatrical experience that embraces its
audience.
o William is a small boy with a huge imagination. When William’s parents
go on holiday, William has to go and stay with his grumpy old Grandpa
in his old and scary house. Grandpa likes silence and not a lot else.
William has to sleep in the attic room that once belonged to his
Grandpa. One night, while trying to get to sleep, William hears strange
music coming from the walls. On investigation, he is confronted by
Megarumpus – a friendly drum-playing monster who equals even
William in imagination. One of their games summons another musical
Monster, Beaky, who joins in the fun – always protesting that
Megarumpus shouldn’t be there as the Monster rule book sets out that
there should only be one monster per child.
When a noisy game brings Grandpa storming into the attic, Beaky
realises that she was Grandpa’s monster when he was a child and that
it is her and not Megarumpus who is in the wrong place. When she
realises that Grandpa can’t see her now that he is a grown up, she is
truly distraught. It is up to William and his monster Megarumpus to
reunite the pair by awakening Grandpa’s lost sense of fun.
Age Group: 3+
Running Time: 50 mins / No interval
Cast List
Actor
Character
Paul Curley
Sarah Goddard
David Garrud
Tom Warwick
William
Beaky
Megarumpus
Grandpa
Devised by: Olivia Jacobs and the Company.
4. Company: Cast and Creative Team
Tall Stories Theatre Company
Since 1997, when Olivia Jacobs and Toby Mitchell set up the company, Tall
Stories shows have performed all over the UK, and as far afield as Poland,
America, Canada, China and Taiwan. Snow White and The Gruffalo have
performed to sell-out audiences on Broadway, and Tall Stories shows have
been produced by local companies in Chile, Singapore and Australia. Their
production of The Gruffalo has been released on DVD by the Really Useful
Group, and a picture book has been published based on their show The Snow
Dragon.
Cast
Paul Curley (William)
Monster Hits is Paul's first show with Tall Stories. Other plays have included:
Jack with Tutti Frutti, Bonjour Bob with Theatre Alibi, Bath-Time with Replay,
Sprout for Proteus Theatre, Sapling's Song, Boy with a Suitcase for Snap
Theatre and Mud, Mulch and Marigolds with The National Trust Theatre,
Aladdin with Tell-Tale. Most recently Paul played Andy Warhol on film and
performed in his home County, Galway, in The Tinker's Blade. Paul has
always enjoyed working with little monsters.
Sarah Goddard (Beaky)
Sarah last worked for Tall Stories on the show Mum and the Monster. Most
recent work includes; Jack for York Theatre Royal / Tutti Frutti; The Steppe
Brothers - a very silly, physical comedy romp with the award winning Reject's
Revenge; Sarah played the cunning Yasmin in The Emperor's New Clothes
for the MAC and Roxane in OSC's highly successful, open-air ensemble
production of Cyrano de Bergerac. Future plans include Cobblers - a quirky
tale she has devised with Tom Warwick!
David Garrud (Megarumpus)
David trained at Hertfordshire Theatre School of Acting and Musical Theatre.
Since graduating he has enjoyed playing a wide variety of roles including
Toad and Ratty in the touring production of Wind in The Willows, Trevor in the
hugely successful farce The Trevor Trilogy's, Paul in Get with The Program at
the Kings Head, Prince Taradin in the Mermaids Tale (touring), Victor in
Private Lives at the Attic Theatre, Brother Chesty Coff in the world famous
Chesty Coffs Present, Salty in Teechers at the John Gardner Studio, Simple
Simon in Jack and the Beanstalk, for Polka Dot Panto's, and Edmond in King
Lear. Screen credits include: Bungalow al in Everybody's Inn for the BBC,
Dan Redmond in Smoke Gets In Your Eyes for channel 4. David is delighted
to be working with Tall Stories. He would like to dedicate his performance to
his step-father Clive.
Tom Warwick (Grandpa)
Tom's work with Tall Stories includes The Gruffalo (Original Devising Cast)
and The Snow Dragon. He is also a founder member of Network of Stuff,
whose shows include The Pickled King, The Unsinkable Clerk, and, in co-
production with Tall Stories, Them With Tails, which toured extensively in the
UK and Europe. In 2008 he will be working on Cobblers, a magical tale of
souls and soles, with Sarah Goddard.
Creative Team
Olivia Jacobs (Director)
Olivia studied English at the University of London (1st Class Honours Degree)
and Drama at Central School of Speech and Drama. She has worked as artistic
director of Camden People’s Theatre, as general manager of Besht Tellers and
Black Theatre Co-operative and as festival programmer/co-ordinator for Soho
Theatre Company. She was awarded a Japanese Government grant to study
Japanese Children’s Theatre in Tokyo. Her directing credits include: The Owl
and the Pussycat (UK tour, co-director), Mum and the Monster (UK Tour),
Something Else (UK tour), The Gruffalo (UK/US/Broadway tour), Snow White
(UK/US/Broadway
tour),
The
Happy
Prince
(Edinburgh/London),
Rumpelstiltskin (Scottish tour), The Monkey’s Paw and The Necklace (CPT,
London). Olivia is co-founder and joint artistic director of Tall Stories.
Toby Mitchell (Creative Producer)
Toby studied Modern Languages at Cambridge University and did an MA in
Advanced Theatre Practice at Central School of Speech and Drama. He has
been a French and drama teacher, an editor at Macmillan Children’s Books and
designer of Total Theatre Magazine. Recent directing credits include The Owl
and the Pussycat (UK tour, co-director), The Egg (Edinburgh/London), The
Gruffalo (Scottish tour) and Alice and Mr Dodgson (Edinburgh/London). Recent
performing/devising work includes: Mum and the Monster (writer), Something
Else (UK tour), The Island of First Loves (Edinburgh), Pandemonium
(Edinburgh & London) and Einstein’s Eyes (CPT). He has worked with Soho
Theatre Company and the Royal Court and is co-founder and joint artistic
director of Tall Stories.
Isla Shaw (Designer)
Theatre: For Tall Stories: Does a Monster Live Next Door? The Gruffalo’s
Child, The Gruffalo, Mum and the Monster, Snow White & Something Else.
Checklist For An Armed Robber (Australia), Requiem for the C20th
(Australia), One Way Street (Australia), The Wall Project (Australia),
Copenhagen (The Watermill), Fen, Five Kinds Of Silence (Live Theatre),
Neville’s Island (The Watermill), The Memory Of Water (UK Tour), The
Argument, Three Dark Tales (Theatre O), Skin Deep (Warehouse Theatre),
Desire Under The Elms (RSC), Alban 2000 (St. Alban’s Cathedral), Phaedra
(Royal Lyceum Edinburgh) Dance & Opera: The Barber Of Seville (Denmark),
Maria De Buenos Aires (Norwich Theatre Royal), The Strauss Gala (UK
Tour), From Berlin To Broadway (Denmark), Grabmusik, Bastien and
Bastienne (Germany).
Will Evans (Lighting Design)
Will trained at the Central School of Speech and Drama. Shows for Tall
Stories: Does a Monster Live Next Door? and Cat and No Mouse. Other
lighting credits include: The Tempest (Big Wooden Horse/Winchester Theatre
Royal), Lady Chatterly’s Lover (Buxton Opera House), Honeymoon in Flames
(Greenhorn – Pauper’s Pit Theatre, Buxton), Serenading Louie (Aorta – GBS
theatre, RADA), The Night Before Christmas, Don’t let the Pigeon Drive the
Bus! and Legend of Perseus (Big Wooden Horse Theatre - Touring), Spend
Spend Spend and 7 Lears (Birmingham School of Acting).
Associate Lighting Design work includes The Gruffalo, Arts Theatre, (Tall
Stories
Shock Productions (Music)
Jon Fiber and Andy Shaw of Shock Productions have been composing music
and designing sound for theatre since 1997. Their work with Tall Stories
includes, Does a Monster Live Next Door? The Gruffalo, The Gruffalo’s Child,
The Snow Dragon, Snow White, Something Else, The Owl and The Pussycat,
and Rumpelstiltskin. Other sound design work includes, And All the Children
Cried (BAC, London), Change of Heart, Modern Man, This Story of Yours
(New End Theatre), Measeure for Measure Malaya (Riverside Studios).
Beside their theatre work Shock also compose and record music for TV
(BBC2, Discovery Channel, HSBC, Ericsson and Johnnie Walker.)
5. Tour Contacts
Tall Stories
Compass Theatre
Glebe Avenue
Ickenham
UB10 8PD
Tel: 01895 638922
Fax: 01895 638857
www.tallstories.org.uk
tallstories@hillingdongrid.net
Tour Booking and Administration: Siobhan Higgins
6. Tour Schedule
Venue
Date
Performances
Contact
Theatre Royal
Winchester
6-Oct
11am & 2pm
01962 844600
Cheshire
TBC
TBC
TBC
East Renfrewshire
Council
11 & 13
Oct
0141 5773710
Adam Smith
Theatre
14-Oct
Thurs 10am &
1pm
Sat 2pm
3pm
Byre Theatre
16-Oct
11.30am & 2.30pm
01334 468731
Frensham Heights
19-Oct
10.45am & 1.45pm
01252 792561
Mansfield Palace
Theatre
20-Oct
2.30pm
01623 412950
Newbury Corn
Exchange
23-Oct
2.30pm
01635 582666
The Gulbenkian
24-Oct
2pm
01227 823493
The Met
26-Oct
11.30am & 2pm
01617 617107
Compass Theatre
27-Oct
Theatr Mwldan
30-Oct
2.30pm
01239 623926
The Riverfront
2-Nov
1.30pm & 4pm
01633 656677
Buxton Opera
House
Watermans
3-Nov
2pm
01298 72050
4-Nov
3pm
020 823 21020
Inspiration festival
6-Nov
11am & 1.30pm
0141 287 9843
The Round
8-Nov
2pm
01912 605605
The Lights
10-Nov
11am
01264 368814
The Albany
11-Nov
3pm
020 8692 0231
Peepul Centre
14-Nov
11am & 1pm
0116 261 6000
The Lyric
17-Nov
11am & 1pm
08700 500 501
Arts Depot
18-Nov
12pm & 3pm
0208 369 5463
Theatr Gwynedd
20-Nov
10am & 6pm
01248 351707
Welfare Theatre
26-Nov
TBC
01639 843163
Wyeside Arts
Centre
University of Herts
27-Nov
TBC
01982 553668
1-Dec
3pm
01707 285048
01592 412567
01895 632488
7. Brochure Copy
A Tall Stories production
There are strange noises in the attic...
William is a young boy with a lot of imagination. Grandpa is an old man with
none. Staying with grumpy Grandpa for the first time, William tries to go to
sleep in his spooky attic room. But monstrous music is coming out of the
darkness...
How will William ever get to sleep when there are monsters hiding in the
walls?
Following the national and international successes of The Gruffalo and The
Snow Dragon, Tall Stories returns with a brand new show for ages three and
up. Storytelling, comedy and songs create a riotous world where friends are
found in unlikely places...
For more information about Tall Stories productions please visit
www.tallstories.org.uk
Running Time: 50 mins
Ages: 3+
8. Website and Image Information
Please see our website for further information about Monster Hits.
www.tallstories.org.uk
It contains further information on all of our shows, including technical info.
High resolution images and the Tall Stories logo are available for download
from the resources section.