A new Family Show and Augmented Reality Experience, based on an original story and picture book by Artistic Director Tomasin Cuthbert
What would you do if you moved to a strange new city? All your friends are far away, your new house smells weird, and it rains all the time?!
Kit takes matters into his own hands, when one night, while drawing to pass the time, the swirls and whirls on his page giggle into a life of their own, and a very unusual adventure unfolds! Join Soap Soup Theatre on their most riotous, colourful adventure of all - where a bedroom becomes a forest, a school turns into a solar system and the drawings in your bag have a life of their own!
A story about the magic of creativity,
and how together,
we bring the impossible to life!
Devised by one of Bristol’s leading theatre makers for family audiences, and based on a brand new book by Artistic Director Tomasin Cuthbert. Soap Soup Theatre combines high quality children’s theatre with the magic of projection mapping, bringing the vibrant illustrations from the book to life. An unmissable Theatre experience for the whole family.
"A lovely show, the perfect way to entertain busy youngsters"
Backstage Bristol
Target Audience
Suitable for 3+
Target audience 5-8
Created for the whole family, so lots to enjoy for adults and under 3’s
Lovers of puppetry and visual theatre
Key Points
A show for the whole family
Based on an original story
Multimedia storytelling. Combining cutting-edge projection mapping technology with puppetry
Co-created, featuring childrens designs
Augmented Reality Experience
Booking
Touring mid-scale venues nationally from Easter 2024-Autumn 2025
Run time 55 mins, no interval
Tour booking please contact our Assistant Producer, Sarah White: soapsoup.sarah@gmail.com
Rates:
Show day: £650 -£1000
Weeks rate: £2000
Tech Rider
Show running time
Approx 55 minutes no interval
Performance space
Ideal performance space size - 6m x 5m
Company details
Tomasin Cuthbert Menes (she/they)- Performer
Ricardo Ventura (he/him) - Performer
Beccy Hillam (she/her)- Touring technician
Performers require two dressing rooms with access to tea and coffee making
facilities.
Set
Floorcloth measuring 5.5m x 4.2m
Projection screen measuring approximately 3.3m x 2.5m
Please see image below for more detail
Lighting
Generic lighting plan to be sent separately. All lanterns must be pre-rigged before
company’s arrival. Please let company know if this will incur extra charges.
Toured by company
- 2 x Stairville RGB Tri Flat PAR
- EOS show file and nomad if required
- Router for OSC control
- Gel and frost
- 2 x gobos in M and B size
Required from venue
- 2 x 13 amp power to PARS rigged overhead and 3 pin DMX link
- 2 x gobo holders
Sound/AV
Sound and projection is operated on company laptop via Qlab5 and requires mini
jack cable through in-house mixing desk. Projector is situated on the floor DSC and is
toured by company.
Toured by company
- Optoma GT1080e projector
- 50m HDMI cable if required
Required from venue
- 13amp power DSC
- HDMI link from DSC to control position
Lighting and sound/AV will be both be operated by touring technician, please inform
us if this is not possible due to in house control positions.
Get in/Get out
Minimum of one in house technician required.
Minimum get in time of 3 hours.
Parking required for two vehicles.
Get out should take approximately 30 minutes with venue technician’s assistance.
Any queries please contact
Beccy Hillam
Tech Manager
0779 156 4759
beccyhillam@gmail.com
AR Experience
Alongside the stage show we have been working with Zubr Curio to create an Augmented Reality experience that brings the Minny Stynker picture book to life. We will be offering an AR Experience touring booth to pop up in local libraries and community spaces prior to your show. This could also ‘pop up’ in your foyer or Theatre cafe-bar before and during the run, as free experience to entice people into your building and engage with the theatre in a different way.
For more information about the Minny Stynker AR strand of the project please click here…
Stephanie Kempson - Director
Stephanie is a director, writer and dramaturg, who, like all freelance artists, also sometimes workshop leads, programmes, storytelling, markets, project manages, and produces. Largely in theatre, but often beyond or on the strange projects that float between forms.
Stephanie makes theatre for traditional theatre contexts, museums and archives, online, festivals and more.
She has a BA English and Creative Writing from Falmouth University and an MA in Film and Literature from the University of York and trained in theatre with Bristol Old Vic’s brilliant Made in Bristol scheme and have since been working full time in it.
Assistant director on the Bristol Old Vic’s Jane Eyre, which went on to become a co-production with the National Theatre and has since toured and streamed extensively. Adapted Stephen Collin’s graphic novel The Gigantic Beard That Was Evil for Bristol Old Vic’s Young Company. Attended the National Theatre’s Emerging Director Scheme, and was a Leverhulme Scholar with Bristol Old Vic in 2019. A resident at the Pervasive Media Studio.
Her theatre company, Sharp Teeth Theatre, is an associate company with The Wardrobe Theatre in Bristol.
Stephanie has a chronic illness (ME/CFS) which is generally mild, but it means she is particularly interested in access (physical and financial) to the arts.
Saikat Ahmed - Dramaturg and R&D Devisor/Performer
Saikat is a Bristol based British Bangladeshi writer, actor and theatre maker. As an actor, he has worked in all parts of the industry over the last twenty years; roles include Tinkerbell in Peter Pan at Bristol Old Vic and then The National Theatre, television series regulars Vince Arya in Monday Monday for ITV and Mr Chadley in Pennyworth for HBO. His film work includes Aladdin directed by Guy Ritche, This Must be the Place directed by Paulo Sorrentino and the British smash hit East is East. Most recently he has been appearing in Life of Pi at Wyndhams Theatre in The West End. Saikat is an Associate Artist at Bristol Old Vic. More details about his work can be found at www.saikatahamed.com
Ricardo Ventura - Performer and Devisor
Ricardo Ventura is a Brazilian actor, director, and writer, based in Bristol since 2015. With a commitment to creating socially impactful storytelling, he challenges audiences to see the world from different perspectives. Ricardo's writing journey began in 2007 with his debut play in Portugal, which later earned him the Best Play award in Portugal's National Theatre Contest in 2010. Across Brazil, Portugal, and the UK, he has written, directed, and acted in a range of productions, from stage dramas and comedies to street and physical theatre. Ricardo is dedicated to inclusive storytelling and has led devised participatory works with young people at risk and within psychiatric settings. His acting credits include collaborations with the renowned Brazilian company "Clowns de Shakespeare" and the UK-based Vamos Theatre, with whom he performs and delivers aspects of their learning and participation programme.
The Creative Team
Tomasin Cuthbert - Artistic Director
Tomasin is proud to have produced six Arts Council funded shows with Soap Soup Theatre, which have toured nationally and received high praise from bookers and audiences of all ages. A multi disciplinary artist, Tomasin’s skills span design, illustration, puppet making, storytelling, performance and puppetry as well as producing and running the company single-handedly. She is passionate about making high quality work which surprises and pleases, reminding adults of the magic of play and imagination, and encouraging children to explore, discover and create. Making work that touches people's hearts and makes them think is at the core of her practice. Her performance style explores the relationship between puppet and puppeteer, fusing expressive human performances, detailed puppetry and above all lots of humour! She has designed and/or made puppets, or been a puppetry mentor, for numerous companies including Stuff and Nonsense, Sixth Sense theatre, White Horse, the Bristol Old Vic, the BOV Theatre School and the BOV young company.
Tomasin is a resident of The Studio, Bath, and Pervasive Media Studio in Bristol, UK. The Studio is a creative technologies collaboration with Watershed, University of the West of England and University of Bristol.
Chris Harrison - Projection mapping
Christopher is a multi-disciplinary storyteller based in Bristol, UK. He works mainly in animation and projection design for theatre, but his practice also spans writing, comics and performance.
Christopher has created illustrations and animations across multiple platforms, with commissions from organisations such as Sony and Selfridges. Animation and projection design for theatre includes Bristol Old Vic show Outlier, his solo show The North! The North! and the Viking adventure Vinland by Jack Dean. Recent animation projects include the computer games Great North Road (Jack Dean & Company) and Truth Sleuth: Thrills, Chills and Chemical Spills (Modest Genius Theatre Company).
Tom Ball - Composer
Tom is a composer, sound designer, producer, songwriter and occasional performer based in Bristol. Tom's long and varied career in music includes a gig up the Eiffel Tower, composing a score for the circus big top at Glastonbury Festival, writing and producing many albums including two with Marthas & Arthurs ("Belle & Sebastian meets ABBA" according to The Guardian) and performing at various music festivals across the UK. His music has gained radio approval from the likes of John Peel, Jarvis Cocker, Cerys Matthews, Marc Riley, Mark Radcliffe and Steve Lamacq, on Radios 1,2,3 and 6Music. He likes to combine elements of electronica, folk, pop, ambient and whatever else takes his fancy at the time.
Tom has been creating music for theatre for 15 years and is an artistic associate of Angel Exit Theatre.
Soap Soup Theatre
We at Soap Soup Theatre are proud makers of devised visual theatre and are passionate about making work which inspires, surprises, and ignites our audience's imagination and creativity. Making work for families means just that – making work that is accessible and enjoyable for adult family members as much as the children, so that a theatre trip to Soap Soup show is a shared experience, touching the hearts and minds of the young and old alike.
Our work is design led, so expect to see and hear colourful and creative design, tactile puppets, costumes and inventive object work. We are committed to making work with and for young people, developing meaningful engagement experiences for young people, and strive to connect with families who might not be able to access traditional theatre settings, through our innovative creative offerings.
Minny Stynker began development in January 2023 seeing us work with children and families in Bristol, North Somerset, BANES and Somerset alongside community groups, schools and charities. We are also working alongside Action for ME and engaging with children with ME/CFS nationally.
This production has been created in partnership with Zubr Curio, The Pervasive Media Studio, Action for ME, The Bristol Old Vic Young Company, The Front Room, Somerset Youth Theatre, Bishop Sutton School, and Knowle West Media Centre.
With thanks to The Arts Council of England, our 65 Crowdfunding donators, The Gibbs Trust, Cooper Associates Foundation, Nani Huyu Trust and the Nisbit Trust.
