Fools Fest 2023: Through The Wardrobe
In December 2023, Fools Fest returned - bringing another two nights of community celebration and revelry to audiences in Ashington and Tyne Valley.
Fools Fest 2023: Through The Wardrobe invited audiences to gather closely around the lamp post, standing tall amidst our snow-covered forest; joining in an extraordinary expedition led by Mortal Fools Youth Theatre.
Across two evenings in Ashington and Tyne Valley, audiences were treated to adventure, unfolding mysteries, and enticing magic.
Mortal Fools Youth Theatre took us on an epic adventure with fun-fuelled witches, graceless goblins, bizarre beasts, and a cast of crazy characters that inspired and delighted audiences. These fantasy stories tugged at our heartstrings and made us laugh out loud!
Fools Fest is our annual celebration of all things creative, in the style of a cabaret event. Fools Fest showcases a variety of mini-performances, created and performed by our young people from 6 Mortal Fools Youth Theatre groups. This year, the groups showcased micro-theatre, film, music, foley, and more!
Across two evenings in Ashington and Tyne Valley, audiences were treated to adventure, unfolding mysteries, and enticing magic.
Mortal Fools Youth Theatre took us on an epic adventure with fun-fuelled witches, graceless goblins, bizarre beasts, and a cast of crazy characters that inspired and delighted audiences. These fantasy stories tugged at our heartstrings and made us laugh out loud!
Fools Fest is our annual celebration of all things creative, in the style of a cabaret event. Fools Fest showcases a variety of mini-performances, created and performed by our young people from 6 Mortal Fools Youth Theatre groups. This year, the groups showcased micro-theatre, film, music, foley, and more!
“Fools Fest 2023 was all about escaping the real world together for a while. The performances made the audience laugh and smile but also got them to see things from a new perspective - exploring what could happen if they take a step out of the ordinary into something magical. Throughout Fools Fest, our young people continued to be amazed by seeing their ideas and imaginations coming to life around them. Transforming normal community spaces into immersive, magical worlds offered our young people and audiences an experience that they will never forget. The positive feedback and sense of achievement helps boost our young people's confidence and skills, and they all had great fun coming together.”
- Scott Wilson, Young People's Practitioner
Fools Fest rehearsal image.
Image Credit - Von Fox Promotions.
“Fools Fest 2023: Through the Wardrobe demonstrated the creativity and imagination of the young performers as they embarked on their journey to Narnia. This was a Friday night at YMCA Northumberland well spent. I liked the way the live performance included the The Bigger Picture: Out of Our Minds video; a co-produced piece by young people from Ashington, sharing their ideas to improve activities and opportunities in the town - a must for those interested in making a difference!”
- -Eric Fletcher, audience member and Youth and Communities Manager at YMCA Northumberland
“Fantastic to see young people engaged with such important and relevant social themes. It was also brilliant chatting with parents of some of the young people in the interval about what their children get out of attending the sessions. All overwhelmingly positive praise.”
- -Stu Rutherford-Orrock, Education Leader, Specialist Educational Needs Coordinator, and Mortal Fools Trustee
Fools Fest rehearsal image.
Image Credit - Von Fox Promotions.
About Fools Fest 2023
Mortal Fools Youth Theatre currently consists of 6 groups of young people – 121 to be precise! We are working with them weekly across Tyne Valley and Ashington – in youth settings and in one school setting. For Fools Fest 2023, our groups selected a book – The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis - as their springboard.
Since September, our groups had been exploring the fantasy world of Narnia; the characters, the themes, and how they may relate to the past, present, and future of our young people’s lives. They’ve experimented with different devising and content-creation techniques, and different art forms, and have worked with a wide variety of artists and theatre professionals.
Each Mortal Fools Youth Theatre group ended up focusing on thematic elements from the story that meant something to them - which led to a co-created short performance output with young people’s voices and imaginary worlds at the heart! All the performances were weaved together and connected by the iconic lamppost – a symbolic feature of The Chronicles of Narnia.
Look out for Fools Fest 2024 this Winter!
Since September, our groups had been exploring the fantasy world of Narnia; the characters, the themes, and how they may relate to the past, present, and future of our young people’s lives. They’ve experimented with different devising and content-creation techniques, and different art forms, and have worked with a wide variety of artists and theatre professionals.
Each Mortal Fools Youth Theatre group ended up focusing on thematic elements from the story that meant something to them - which led to a co-created short performance output with young people’s voices and imaginary worlds at the heart! All the performances were weaved together and connected by the iconic lamppost – a symbolic feature of The Chronicles of Narnia.
Look out for Fools Fest 2024 this Winter!
