As I dust off my elf hat it can only mean one thing ... Christmas for Kids is BACK.
On a crisp Monday morning, nine actors eagerly met at a beautiful rehearsal space in Forest Hill, getting to know each other for what would be a hard, yet rewarding, few weeks ahead.
On day one we started with a read-through of the brand new script freshly written by Gareth Tempest. It was so great to hear the words come to life and to see the characters jump off the page for the first time. In the afternoon we dove straight into learning the songs for the show. This year both Director Claire and Musical Director Sue wrote some wonderful original numbers that had everyone excited.
On day two we had a puppetry workshop from Chris Thatcher, a puppeteer with over ten years experience from the Muppets and 'Avenue Q' to his own web series. To say we were excited was an understatement! After a detailed and fun filled four hours the cast felt ready and more prepared to bring our puppets to life.
On days three and four we took on the huge task of blocking the show for all three teams. With lots of coffee, concentration and care from Claire, we were able to work quickly, efficiently and somehow had a full show blocked by the end of Thursday!
By day five we were proudly able to have our first full run of the show. It was thrilling and exciting (and very, very sweaty!) By the end of the day we all could feel a buzz in the air from the special show we were creating.
I can’t wait to get on the road with my team as I know we are going to bring joy to a lot of people on this year's tour with the 18 venues that my team will be visiting! The other two teams of actors are doing the same - bringing our joint total to 54 fantastic hospice and related venues visited in the month of December. Let the Christmas joy commence!
Sophie (aka Elf - Team Harry) xx