Presents…

The brilliant musical adaptation of the best-selling picture book

by Julia Donaldson and Axel Scheffler

VISUAL GUIDE

This guide has been created as a support material for families attending the

relaxed/sensory friendly production of Room on the Broom. The guide

contains information about the show and the characters in order that

children can familiarise themselves with the show and aims to make their

theatre experience as enjoyable and memorable as possible.

Contents

1. About the show

2. Meet the Cast / Characters

3. Set, Lighting & Sound

4. About the theatre

About the Show

How long does the show last?

The show is 55 minutes long with no interval

What is the show about?

Room on the Broom is based on the much loved children’s book by Julia

Donaldson & Axel Scheffler and is adapted for the stage by acclaimed UK

theatre company Tall Stories, known the world over for their physical, musical

and story-telling style of theatre.

The story follows a haphazard witch and her trusty cat on their way to the

back of beyond to fight a dragon!

On route, Witch loses her hat in the wind and they must fly down to fetch it –

there they meet dog who wants to go to the moon. He asks Witch to take him

and after some negotiation with Cat they head back up into the sky.

Then Witch’s bow falls out and so again they must fly to the ground to collect

it – only to find that a large green bird has found it and thinks it’s her own. Bird

has been left behind by her friends who are migrating south for the winter and

now she doesn’t know how to get there. Witch agrees to take her with them

and drop her off on the way the dragon’s lair so they set off again.

Suddenly Witch drops her wand – and immediately they all fly down to find it.

It’s been picked up be a frog who is himself trying to get away from a Princess

who thinks he will turn into a Prince if she kisses him. Frog gives Witch back

the wand in return for letting him escape on the broom with them.

Back in the sky and heading towards the dragon’s lair – the broom just can’t

cope with them all and snaps in two!! Cat, Dog, Bird & Frog fall into a muddy

bog, whilst Witch, unaware

that her friends have vanished,

flies on to meet the dragon!

Dragon is hungry and when he

finds Witch decides she would

make a delicious feast. But just

as he is about to eat her, a

hideous Mud Monster

clambers out of the bog to

claim Witch for itself. Dragon

flees whilst Witch discovers

that the Mud Monster is in fact all of her friends covered in mud pretending to

be a monster.

Witch casts a spell to fix the broom and the new friends fly off into the night.

Meet the Cast/ Characters

Witch, Cat, Dog, Bird, Frog & Dragon

The show is made up of 4 actors. 1 female plays the Witch, another plays Cat

and there are 2 men – 1 plays Dog & Frog and the other plays Bird & Dragon.

The stage adaptation includes all the rhyming text of the book and is driven

along with music, songs, lots of fun and some audience participation. The

characters will speak directly to the audience, so feel free to sing-a-long and

answer back when prompted.

Dog, Frog & Bird are all puppets so the actor’s faces are visible and the

costumes are minimal to facilitate the very physical style of the performance.

Witch is played by an actress named AMY HARRIS.

This is Amy. Here is Amy as Witch.

Cat is played by an actress named EMMA CROWLEY-BENNETT

This is Emma. This is Emma as Cat

Dog & Frog are both puppets operated by an actor named DAVID GARRUD

This is David

This is David with Dog This is David with Frog

Bird is a puppet and is operated by an actor named CONNOR BLOOM.

CONNOR also plays Dragon

This is Connor

This is Connor with Bird This is Connor as Dragon

Set, Lighting & Sound

The Set

When you arrive in the auditorium you will see a large moon with trees

around it. Here is a picture of the set

Lighting

There are ‘sky’ states and ‘ground’ states in this show. Whilst in the sky, the

lighting is slightly darker and when on the ground much lighter.

Towards the end, when Witch casts a spell to make a new broom, the lights

will gently flicker and then the stage will go to pitch black momentarily. There

is no strobe lighting or flash photography in this production.

At the end of the show the stage will go black again to signify the end of the

performance. The lights will come up a couple of seconds later and there is a

finale to clap and sing-a-long to.

For this relaxed performance, we will be keeping some of the house lights on

so that the auditorium will not be in total darkness.

Sounds

The show contains recorded music & live singing.

The cast will make whooshing noises when the broom takes off. The

audience is encouraged to join in with this.

Dragon will roar before his entrance a couple of times and their will be sound

effects of stomping.

For this relaxed performance, we will be turning the overall level of the sound

down so that it is not too loud during the performance.

Songs from the show include:

1. A Witch and her Cat

2. First Dog in Space (Dog song)

3. They’ve only gorn and left me on me own… (Bird song)

4. Frog Stomp (Frog Song)

5. Witch & Chips (Dragon Song)

6. Iggety Ziggety

Recommended age

Room on the Broom is recommended for children aged 3+ and their families.

Announcements

There may be an announcement just before the show asking for mobile

devices to be switched off and advising that photography/filming of any kind

is not permitted.

If you need to use a specific electronic device such as an IPad to help with your

enjoyment of the show, please inform the ushers as you enter the theatre.

Extra Information If you need any extra information in the lead up to your visit, please contact Charlotte Lund from Tall Stories Theatre Company charlotte@tallstories.org.uk 020 8348 0080

About the Theatre

Getting to The Lowry

By Car

The Lowry is a 10 minute drive from Manchester City Centre, 20 minutes from

Manchester Airport, and a quarter of a mile from the motorway network,

giving access from all over the North West and beyond.

From the M60 take junction 12 for the M602. The Quays is a quarter of a mile

from junction 3 of the M602. Follow the brown Lowry logo signs.

Parking

The primary disabled parking facility for The Lowry is The Lowry Outlet Mall car

park.

We recommend that Blue Badge holders enter The Lowry Outlet car park at

the

entrance near the mini-roundabout on the road leading from The Quays

(pictured above) as this will allow parking on the ground floor level.

The Lowry Outlet car park offers 4 hours free parking for disabled patrons on

production of their blue badge at either the Car Parking Office or at the

Information Desk. For more information please contact their team on 0161 848

1850.

The Lowry does offer two dedicated parking spaces on our service road (to the

side of the building, through the security barriers) for Blue Badge holders.

These are available on a first come first served basis, and cannot be booked in

advance.

By Metrolink

The Lowry is easily accessible via two Metrolink lines, the Eccles line (alight at

Harbour City), and the Media City UK line (alight at Media City UK). Travelling

from Manchester City Centre, the Metrolink takes approximately ten to fifteen

minutes.

By Train

If you are exiting the train at Oxford Road Station, walk up Oxford Road

towards St Peter's Square, where you can board the Metrolink (see above).

If you are leaving the train at Piccadilly or Victoria Station, there will be clearly

signposted Metrolink stations nearby.

By Bus

Buses that go along the Quays and past The Lowry:

50 - East Didsbury - The Lowry. Regular service running every fifteen minutes,

including Sundays.

69 - Eccles – Stretford. Regular service until 6pm, excluding Sundays and Bank

Holidays. 245 - Altrincham - Exchange Quay. Regular service running every

thirty minutes approximately (alight at Imperial War Museum).

Arriving and getting around The Lowry

The two main doors into the building have buttons to automatically open the

doors. These are on the top of low–level posts, both inside and outside.

Each main entrance has an internal textured mat which is level with the

surrounding floor.

Please note that our security staff may ask to search your bags when you

arrive – this is just a precaution and nothing to worry about.

Staff and Volunteers are on hand in the main foyer to help with building

information, access to the cloakroom facility and hire of wheelchairs (free of

charge to use). If you would like to hire a wheelchair please call our Welcome

Desk on 0161 876 2016.

The Welcome Desk faces the main entrance opposite the Box Office. The Box

Office is inside the main foyer as you go in through the double glass doors.

The foyer is a wide colourful space with high ceilings, large angled windows

and sloping blue floors. Throughout the building the floor surfaces are smooth

polished terrazzo, textured rubber, carpet, wood and tiled.

The foyer can be very busy and noisy before and after a performance but there

are lots of spaces around the building that you can go to such as the Tower

Coffee Shop, Circle Bar or Pier Eight Bar and Restaurant.

Collecting Tickets

If you haven’t already got your tickets, you will be able to collect them from

Box Office.

The Box Office counter is by the main doors to The Lowry – all you have to do

is tell them your name and postcode.

Ushers

The Ushers, who are always happy to help, will be wearing a red or purple

jumper or t-shirt with a badge like this.

‘Room on the Broom’ will be in the Quays theatre.

To find the Quays theatre, turn left after walking in the main doors, and follow

the corridor past the Pier Eight Bar & Restaurant.

The Quays theatre looks like this once you’re inside.

During the show

If you need to leave the theatre at any point during the performance, feel free

to do so. Ushers will be on hand to help you to and from your seat and the

performance will be being relayed on a screen just outside the Quays theatre,

so if you prefer to sit and watch from there at any point, that’s fine.

Toilets

Accessible toilets are available on the stalls level of the Quays bar. If your seats

are not on this level, there is a lift avaailble.