Theatre company creates storybook for Bristol children this Christmas

In a parallel universe where Covid-19 had never existed, award-winning professional theatre company Travelling Light would be in the middle of a six-week tour of China. They could at this very moment be performing Boing! on stage in Wuhan.

In this alternative world, two friends would be waiting for snow to build an igloo, while children across Bristol would be spectators, participants and co-creators in the free community theatre production, Igloo.

Unfortunately, we have not been able to access this parallel universe and we are still stuck inside. There will be no Christmas plays or live pantomimes this year.

Instead, Travelling Light have turned their play into a book. With the help of illustrator Edwina Bridgeman, who worked as the set designer for the play, children can still enjoy Igloo this Christmas.

This brand-new children’s storybook will be sent out as a Christmas gift to over 2,000 children across Bristol.

Travelling Light Theatre Company did manage to tour their play Igloo in January and February 2020, before Covid-19 caused shows to be cancelled. Photo by James Keats

Travelling Light is not your typical theatre company. They often work with local children to develop their productions and perform them for free.

Igloo – co-produced with Bristol Old Vic – was “created in partnership with so many children. They were our playmates who helped steer the show,” says Heidi Vaughan, artistic director of Travelling Light.

“We tried to put as much of that physicality into the illustrations as possible.”

As Heidi sits in a rehearsal studio in Barton Hill, she looks out of the large rectangular windows facing onto the street and remembers how they created stories together: “The stories that we make within this space, we take them and we tour them all over the world. Who would think that from a little portacabin in Barton Hill Settlement those things could happen?

“We’re really privileged to be among this community. It’s a fabulous community – a melting pot. A brilliant, artistic melting pot.”

The play itself had been the last on tour before the first lockdown came into force in March 2020. For Heidi it is “ironic”, because the challenges the children face in the story are like the challenges facing children while staying at home during lockdown:

“It’s a story about two children who are stuck inside and desperate for it to snow so they can build an igloo.

“However, it doesn’t snow and it’s a really wet, drizzly day and they end up having to use their imaginations about how to build an igloo indoors. They have to use the things that they have inside their house and it’s all about the power of the imagination.”

Alex Stedman and Megan Vaughan-Thomas performing Igloo on stage. Photo by James Keates

The books will be sent out to 17 distribution centres, including nurseries and children’s centres. Feeding Bristol has ordered several hundred books and many others have ordered over a hundred.

Heidi says she would like to raise funds to order more books to meet the high demand: “I cannot stress how much demand there has been from our distribution partners and that’s why we’re really keen to get the fundraising message out, because the more that we raise, the more we can get out there to children who need it. We currently have 2,000 books but it would be brilliant if we could expand beyond that.

“It’s a real presumption that online means accessible and unfortunately we know that is not always the case. It feels like a really special offer to give a storybook this Christmas to people who may not otherwise have access to things like this.”

Donate to the fundraising campaign to help Travelling Light print more free copies of their book by visiting www.travellinglighttheatre.org.uk/support-us/campaigns/give-a-magical-seasonal-story-this-christmas

Main image by Edwina Bridgeman

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