IMAGINE CHILDREN’S FESTIVAL

Sponsored by the Book People  

 

FAVOURITE CHILDREN’S WRITERS, MUSIC, COMEDY AND…
DENNIS THE MENACE ON TRIAL (CHARGED WITH HAVING TOO MUCH FUN…) AT SOUTHBANK CENTRE’S BIGGEST AND BEST-EVER FESTIVAL EVENT!

When Dennis the Menace and his mates from Beanotown come to London to star in the world premiere of The Trial of Dennis the Menace, they will find Southbank Centre run by children and teeming with a host of dragons, ninja pirates and characters as wild and colourful as they are, many of them brought to life by the writers who created them. With more than 50 ticketed and free events over two weeks, including concerts, plays, comedy and appearances by many of the UK’s finest children’s authors, it will be the biggest Imagine festival yet. For six days, between 13^th – 19^th February, children take over the running of Imagine, from managing the cloakroom to selling programmes and making sure shows start on time. Festival themes include a celebration of Roald Dahl – perhaps the greatest of all children’s writers – and an exploration of children in care in literature and in real life in partnership with The Letterbox Club, who deliver books to children within the care system. Imagine takes over Southbank Centre, from the London Philharmonic Orchestra’s performance of The Jungle Book in the Royal Festival Hall and an audience with the legendary Jacqueline Wilson in the Queen Elizabeth Hall to intimate, one-on-one performances of The Incredible Book Eating Boy in Spirit Level or guided tours of Southbank Centre’s secret places in the company of a friendly monster called Beastie.  

Imagine Festival Highlights:

• Readings and storytelling from new books by Jacqueline Wilson, Cathy Cassidy, Francesca Simon, Morris Gleitzman, Andy Stanton and Cressida Cowell
• Cast of The Beano star in the world premiere of The Trial of Dennis The Menace
• Pirates of the Caribbean star Mackenzie Crook reads and draws from his new book
• Prestigious Red House Children’s Book Award held at Imagine for first time
• Robert Winston demonstrates amazing facts and explosively fun activities from his new book Science Experiments
• Special staged performance of Michael Morpurgo’s award-winning Private Peaceful
• Chances to meet favourite authors and characters on the Imagine Extra Stage, including Ciaran Murtagh (Dinopants); Korky Paul (Winnie the Witch); Jamila Gavin (Tales from India); Tamara McFarlane (Amazing Esme); Steve Cole (Astrosaurs) Tony Ross and Jeanne Willis (Dr Xargle) the Mega Mash-up Boys and more. 
• Comedy from Imagine favourites James Campbell and Jeremy Strong
• Past children’s laureate Michael Rosen chairs the Roald Dahl Funny Prize Panel with this year’s winner Liz Pichon (The Brilliant World of Tom Gates) and previous winners Louise Rennison (Angus, Thongs and Full Frontal Snogging) and Philip Ardagh (Grubtown Tales)
• Laura Dockrill celebrates the genius of Roald Dahl with Dockrill’s Dahl Delights
• BBC Gastronaut Stefan Gates re-creates famous disgusting recipes from children’s books
• Charles Hazlewood brings orchestral music to life with family performances of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and Dvořák’s Symphony from the New World
• Opera for babies, hip-hop for toddlers and family-friendly orchestral performances of The Jungle Book and Carnival of the Animals
• Children can explore the Southbank Centre site with new friend Beastie  and with choreographer Lea Anderson on her Tall Tales Tour

Shan MacLennan, Creative Director of Learning and Participation at Southbank Centre said:
“Imagine isn’t run by children – not yet – but what would it look like if it was? As our biggest Imagine yet takes to the stage, we have invited children from different backgrounds to help us run things and think about how to create a festival that they themselves might conjure up. We love the idea of the greatest figures making work for children today being looked after by children. Though, we realise that if we truly want to create a festival that has the interests of children at its heart we adults must be prepared to relinquish some control. So, as the festival gets bigger, you might see its organisers becoming a little smaller.”

Jude Kelly, Artistic Director at Southbank Centre, said:
“Children’s authors populate our minds with fantastic worlds to escape into, characters that become friends and stories that we carry with us and draw upon for the rest of our lives. While Imagine has grown hugely to encompass music, comedy and theatre in recent years, books, storytelling and – perhaps, most excitingly of all – the chance to meet the writers themselves remains right at the heart of the festival. So, we are particularly thrilled to be able to honour them by welcoming the Redhouse Book Awards to Imagine for the first time – fittingly the only children’s book award voted for exclusively by children.”

Imagine Books and Storytelling

Children’s literature is right at the heart of Imagine, as signalled by the appearance of the prestigious Red House Children’s Book Awards, which are being held as part of the festival for the first time. Children are welcome to join a star-studded shortlist of authors at the exciting ceremony, hosted by comedian James Campbell, to find out who wins the only national book award voted for entirely by children.

There will be readings and appearances by favourite children’s authors throughout the festival including Jacqueline Wilson, who talks about her new book The Worst Thing About My Sister; Cressida Cowell, author of How to Train Your Dragon; Horrid Henry’s Francesca Simon reading from her new book Sleeping Amy; and Chris Bradford, author of the award-winning Young Samurai series, who launches his new book Ring of Wind at Imagine. Also appearing is Mackenzie Crook, star of The Office and Pirates of the Caribbean, who will read from his book The Windvale Sprites and draw illustrations live on stage.

The Imagine Extra Stage is free and takes place in The Clore Ballroom on both Saturdays of the Festival and offers more opportunities to meet favourite authors including Ciaran Murtugh, creator of the very silly and often stinky Stone Age series Dinopants; Korky Paul writer of the hugely popular Winnie The Witch books; Surya Trilogy author Jamila Gavin tells Tales from India; Tamara McFarlane, creator of the wildly imaginative Amazing Esme; Steve Cole, who had the genius idea of bringing astronauts and dinosaurs together in the thrilling Astrosaurs series; Tony Ross and Jeanne Willis’s hilarious observations on earthling’s behaviour as seen through the eyes of alien Dr Xargle and a glimpse into the minds of some of the creators of quite possibly the most bonkers books around with the Mega Mash-up Boys. The Imagine Craft Pavilion (11 – 19 February) in Spirit Level sees different children’s publishers introduce children to their favourite characters in creative ways.

Throughout the festival the Saison Poetry library will have a focus on the magic of Roald Dahl, who inspired and thrilled generations of readers and authors alike. Poet, illustrator and self-confessed Dahl fan Laura Dockrill explores Roald Dahl’s daring, gruesome and hilarious poetry in Dockrill’s Dahl’s Delights.

Imagine on Stage
Britain’s favourite comic, The Beano, is brought to life in the Queen Elizabeth Hall with the world premiere of The Trial of Dennis the Menace.  This is a new commission by Southbank Centre, in conjunction with publisher DC Thomson, written by award-winning poet Caroline Bird with music by composer Matt Rogers.  Audiences can witness the antics of Dennis and his mates as they work out who stole the mayor of Beanotown’s gold chain, and battle the grown-ups, who are declaring a war on fun.  Also making a special appearance at Imagine is a stage adaptation of Private Peaceful, Michael Morpurgo’s story of a young First World War Soldier awaiting firing squad, and Mandela Tales, telling stories from a number of regions and traditions across Africa. Mulberry School for Girls give a free performance of Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors, first produced at the Unicorn Theatre as part of the Shakespeare Schools Festival, which is told with slapstick humour and accompanied with an 80s soundtrack. Children are able to experience a one-on-one performance of The Incredible Book Eating Boy, an exciting adaptation of Oliver Jeffers’ book about a boy with a voracious appetite for books that uses puppetry and projection, whilst aspiring chefs can watch as Stefan Gates, of BBC’s Gastronauts, recreates some of the most famous disgusting recipes from literature live on the stage of the Queen Elizabeth Hall. 

 

Imagine Comedy

Imagine comedy favourite James Campbell, returns to the festival with his much-loved stand up show, in which he makes fun of everything from couscous to Nintendo Wii.  Also appearing is Jeremy Strong who reads from the latest in his Cartoon Kid series and Mr Gum creator Andy Stanton. In celebration of all things funny, the Roald Dahl Funny Prize Panel sees recent winner Liz Pichon, joined by two previous winners, Louise Rennison, of Angus, Thongs and Full-Frontal Snogging fame and Phillip Ardagh, who won the prize in 2009 with Grubtown Tales: Stinking Rich and Just Plain Stinky. They will all be kept in line by poet Michael Rosen, who founded the Roald Dahl Funny Prize in association with the reading charity Booktrust.

 

 

Imagine Music

Conductor, TV presenter and classical music advocate Charles Hazlewood will work with over 300 pupils from schools in Southwark in performances of Mussorgsky’s Pictures at an Exhibition and Dvořák’s New World Symphony with Southbank Centre Resident Orchestra the Philharmonia Orchestra. The London Philharmonic Orchestra provides the perfect family-friendly introduction to classical music in their FUNHarmonics Family Concert, where Miklós Rózsa’s score for Alexander Korda’s 1943 film of The Jungle Book is brought to life with singing, dancing and a generous dose of silliness.

Meanwhile in The Clore Ballroom children will have the chance to encounter a number of creatures through classical music, hip-hop and opera. The National Youth Orchestra gives free performances of Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals, whilst Baby O, the opera for babies, invites the audience to meet animals in a magical secret garden. The hugely popular DJ and poet Charlie Dark returns to Imagine, taking little ones – two and under – an adventure deep beneath the sea to meet a beat-boxing blow fish and a mermaid who can’t swim in Dr Octopus and the Wheels of Steel.  

Exploring the Southbank Centre site:
Throughout the festival, children can leave their parents behind as they go off to explore the Southbank Centre site with a new special friend Beastie, creating their own stories along the way, or experience live performances in unexpected locations in the Tall Tale Tours from Southbank Centre’s Artist in Residence Lea Anderson.  Fans of Where’s Wally should keep an eye out for the infamous red and white jumper at this year’s Imagine, as Wally is hiding somewhere among all the fun. 

Anyone looking for new excuses for taking the day of school should be sure to see The Letter, an animation by David Shrigley that depicts an anonymous hand writing a letter of absence to Mrs Teacher.  The work is projected onto the exterior of the Royal Festival Hall from dusk each day, and coincides with the Hayward Gallery exhibition David Shrigley: Brain Activity, which offers children’s tours and a workshop that encourages children to respond creatively to the exhibition.