Theatre / Christmas show
In rehearsal for Little Red (& Other Winter Tales) at Bristol Old Vic
Straddling Christmas and New Year 2024/5, the festive offering for young children and their families at Bristol Old Vic’s Weston Studio is based around a series of classic tales: Little Red Riding Hood, The Red Shoes and The Little Match Girl.
Little Red (& Other Winter Tales) features Guy Hughes, Sasha Frost and Jenny Finn, with Lisa Gregan directing and the award-winning writer of DESTINY, Florence Espeut-Nickless as the writer in the room.
Through a series of contemporary twists on familiar tropes, audiences are primed to expect a collection of stories about adventure, adversity, “absent parents, dance-offs and finding the heart of Christmas”.
is needed now More than ever
Sasha Frost and Jenny Finn in rehearsal for Little Red (and Other Winter Tales) – photo: Ben Robins
Hughes and Frost joined Bristol24/7 from the rehearsal room, where the show is taking shape:
What can you tell us about the show and the roles you play?
GH: “At the centre of all three stories are three children who are all connected by the place they live and grew up: Bristol. It’s heartwarming, moving, fun and Christmassy! I play Kit, the boy in the third of our stories, The Red Shoes. His journey is a lovely triumph over sadness and grief through the rediscovery of his love of dancing.”
SF: “The three stories are all woven together in a magical, Christmassy, Bristolian bubble. I play Little Red or Rae as she’s called in our story. She’s very smart and brave and much cooler than me – I love her!”
Guy Hughes in rehearsal – photo Ben Robins
Little Red.. is aimed at tiny ones – what things do you have to consider when you’re making a show for such a young audience?
GH: “I always think that one key thing to remember when making shows for younger audiences is that children are cleverer than we often think! They can join the dots in ways that adults have sometimes forgotten. This means that the storytelling can be quite liberating, we can and should use our imagination and trust that children will also immerse themselves in the narrative.
“Having said that, it’s a reminder not to over complicate things! Coming back to telling children’s stories is a really useful exercise in connecting with the simpler elements of storytelling because so often they are the ones that work the best.”
SF: “Our writer Florence Espeut-Nickless has written a really clever script that works on many levels, which I think will appeal to both the parents and kids in the audience. We are performing in the round and there’s direct address to the audience throughout. As a result, the storytelling is really intimate and accessible; hopefully the kids will feel like they are part of the story with us.
“Our director Lisa is amazing and we’ve been looking at how to tell certain moments of the stories visually – particularly those kind of magic moments that will be really engaging, vivid and exciting to watch, especially for the younger audience members.”
Guy Hughes – photo: Ben Robins
You were both part of Bristol Old Vic Young Company (BOVYC) in your youth – what are your memories of that time?
GH: “I loved doing Young Company. It came off the back of having done a few summer schools at BOV which in many ways were the beginning of my interest in theatre. It felt so special to be able to be in such an exciting building and to perform on the stages.
“Looking back, it was so helpful to be part of a creative company at such a young age because that is such an important part of working in the industry – learning how to work effectively as a creative company to make something special together.”
SF: “I loved my time in the youth theatre. I distinctly remember one of the summer schools where we did Greek Theatre, and we learnt about the role of the Greek Chorus, while also doing mask work, dance and music. I had never read any of the Greek plays before and I was just blown away by all the wild, mad stuff that was happening in them! Then at the end, I got to perform Medea on the main house stage with costumes, lighting, music and choreography – it was incredible.
“Youth Theatre had such a huge influence on me. It gave me so much confidence and belief, as well as practical support and encouragement in pushing me to go on and study at Drama School.”
Jenny Finn and Sasha Frost – photo: Ben Robins
What’s it like working over Christmas?
GH: “It’s lovely to be working at home at Christmas! This is also my first Christmas as Dad, so I’m especially excited to be doing a young audience show at home in Bristol over the festive period. Bristol Old Vic is also just so sparkly and magical at this time of year, so it’s very exciting to be back in such a special building.”
SF: “It’s so much fun; it feels super festive. I live in London so getting to be at home in Bristol with my family and friends over the whole of the Christmas period is really special for me. I’m having a dreamy time!”
Little Red (& Other Winter Tales) is at The Weston Studio, Bristol Old Vic on December 6-January 11; times vary. Age recommendation is 3-7 years. Tickets are available from www.bristololdvic.org.uk, including ‘Pyjama Nights’ on selected Fridays.
Main photo: Jesutunumidun Adebanjo
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