Kidztheatre’s performing pig production “by children, for children”
Percival and his friends rehearsing for the performance on Saturday night, from left back, Liam Potts, Sammy Van der Meer, Anna Roberts, middle, Adam Polglase as Percival, front from left, Han Mason as Nana Turkey, Fleur Howard as Hen, Henry Ward as Lit
Percival the Performing Pig is to hit the stage with pizzazz and the flick of a wiggly tail. Ronnie Short’s beginners’ Kidztheatre group is putting on the tale of the pig with the exceptional singing voice who is discovered and bought by an agent. Percival is whisked away from his friends at Old MacDonald’s farm to perform at London’s Grand Opera House, and of course, Percival and his mates hatch a plan to get him back to the farm.
“This is a wonderful play for the littlies, put on by children for children. It is a very popular play written by Dilys Owen, and a lot of schools are performing it,” said Ronnie, the director and tutor. “The play has some quite challenging parts in it even for those who are bit older. The young ones—the youngest is Henry Ward, who is seven and plays a small turkey—have done really well, too. We have a narrator, Page Turnbull, who is the scarecrow. Page has a huge long part which she has nailed really well and she is really amazing. Adam Polglase is Percival the pig, and he is wonderful.”
The stage remains blank as the children act out the scenery. The play is only 30 minutes long to suit the attention span of a younger audience, though it has been stretched with a bit of music in the hope that the audience will join in with the singing.
Adam Polglase, 8, plays the protagonist Percival with fervour and, with only a couple of days to go, he says he is feeling excited but also a wee bit nervous.
“We’re finishing the rehearsing soon and then we are going to perform it. The play is very good and what I like most about it is that I have short lines. I can read them clearly and I remember them better than longer lines, and I can do it now without my book. What I like about Percival is that he is so emotional,” Adam explained.
Prices have been kept low to match the pocket money budget of the audience. It is free for under twos and just a dollar for two-to-five-year-olds. Come and find out how Percival manages to find his way back home to those he loves, and bring your best singing voices to the Village Theatre, 2pm, Sunday 13 December.
Ina Holst
