FLIP FLOP International Children’s Theatre Festival 2008 will celebrate the best of children’s theatre, Sunday 19th October to Sunday 26th October 2008

The Pavilion Theatre and the Dún Laoghaire Rathdown County Council are combining their resources and talents to create the second FLIP FLOP Children’s Theatre Festival.

The Festival will run in various venues from Sunday, 19 October to Sunday, 26 October, and is made possible through the support of Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council [DRCC].

Anyone is welcome to attend, but the festival is primarily aimed at children 12 and under, as well as their families, friends, and school classes. Tickets for the five main shows and the Children’s Fiction Slam are reasonably priced at €7.

Library workshops for children are free, while Pavilion theatre workshops are €5. Teachers who bring classes are offered two complimentary tickets per class group.

The Festival Director is Martin Murphy of the Pavilion, while the Festival Coordinator is Sandymount’s own multi-talented Valerie Bistany.

Five main theatre productions on offer:

There are five main productions on offer in the Pavilion, Dún Laoghaire, and/ or the Mill Theatre, Dundrum.

1. Sunday, 19 October: Circus Minimus shows the magic of everyday life, in which every family is a circus (Lyngo Theatre, UK/Italy).

2. Monday 20, Tuesday 21st, Wednesday 22nd October: Fables, Tales and Tattlers, an inter-active theatre piece in which dysfunctional storytellers Billy and Jilly need a hand from the audience to get it right (Theatre Lovett, Ireland).

3. Thursday 23rd October: Róisín agus an Rún (Roisin and the Seal) written by acclaimed Irish poet Nuala Ní Dhomnaill, with music by Colm Snodaigh of Kíla. A girl befriends a seal-boy and helps him when a greedy fisherman threatens his world (Púca Puppets, Ireland).

4. Friday 24th October: Hansel and Gretel, with spooky characters, captivating songs and haunting imagery circus (Lyngo Theatre, UK/ Italy).

5. Sunday 26th October: Katzenjammer, a fast-paced show with spectacular piano gymnastics and comic banter.
In addition, there is the second Flip Flop Children’s Fiction Slam, for unpublished writers of children’s fiction, and children’s workshops in the Pavilion and in libraries throughout Dún Laoghaire Rathdown. Also, for the first time, the festival is teaming up with the Mill Theatre, Dundrum, for productions.

Also, you might not believe your eyes on the 18th and 19th October, when 9-foot Scottish Giant, Big Rory, and his uncouth dog, Ochie, may be spotted causing canine chaos around Dún Laoghaire and Dundrum.

FLIP FLOP’s workshops include a story hunt (in 5 local libraries) which invites children to act out their own stories, a ‘come in costume’ performance, clowning workshops, dance workshops, and a mask making workshop inspired by Rudyard Kipling’s animal tales.

Booking for all Flip Flop performances and Pavilion workshops is available from the Pavilion Theatre, either by phoning 01 231 2929, on line at www.paviliontheatre.ie, or in person at the Pavilion Theatre, Marine Road, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin.

Booking for Mill Theatre performances only can be by telephone to 01 296 9340, online to www.milltheatre.com, or in person at the Mill Theatre, Dundrum Town Centre, Dublin 14.