When Archie complains to big sister Rita ‘sometimes you’re not very nice to me’, she points out ‘well, you’re my brother’. And she has her complaints too. She had been promised a little sister after all.
Rita and Archie are the Big Sister Little Brother in Barnstorm’s cracking new production, suitable for children aged 4 to 7, opening next week on October 13 in The Barn, Kilkenny.
The way Rita and Archie argue, they could be any brother and sister in Kilkenny… except that they are on the run from the Emperor. They tried to sell him magic garments made from invisible gold thread. And when it all goes horribly wrong, they blame each other. But while they can’t even agree on which way to run, you will discover why they always end up sticking together.
Based on The Emperor’s New Clothes, Big Sister Little Brother by Mike Kenny is told from the perspective of the two children. And while they stop to tell the audience their story, they also play out a classic battle for power, with Rita (Aideen Wylde) constantly bullying and pushing Archie (Paul Curley) around, while he manages to undermine her authority and demands to be heard. The production is a visually exciting and highly energetic, larger-than-life show in which fantastical worlds and eccentric characters emerge from old suitcases making it a magical Halloween treat.
Rita: Aideen Wylde
Archie: Paul Curley
Directed by: Philip Hardy
Production Manager: Vincent Dempsey
Stage Manager: Steve Rider
Set Design: Carol Betera
Costume Design: Bernie McCoy
Lighting Design: Sinéad McKenna
Graphic Design: Alé Mercado
Movement Director: Monika Bieniek
