Press Contact: Natalie Thomas
07 October 2024
New co-production has been crafted in Cornwall and Cattedown!
PUPPETRY, COSTUMES AND THE SET FOR WORLD PREMIERE STAGE ADAPTATION OF BEST-SELLING BOOK THE CREAKERS BY TOM FLETCHER IS BEING CREATED IN SOUTH WEST.
SHOW WILL LAUNCH AT THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH IN OCTOBER HALF TERM 2024 BEFORE HEADING TO SOUTHBANK CENTRE.
AN IMPOSSIBLE PRODUCING, SMITH & BRANT THEATRICALS, GAVIN KALIN PRODUCTIONS AND THEATRE ROYAL PLYMOUTH CO-PRODUCTION
Book by Miranda Larson / Music & Lyrics by Tom Fletcher
Directed and Choreographed by Tom Jackson Greaves
The costumes, set and puppetry for the brand new stage adaptation of the best-selling smash-hit children’s book, The Creakers, is being created in Devon and Cornwall ahead of its world premiere at Theatre Royal Plymouth (TRP) this October half term.
Conceived by international singer-songwriter and best-selling author, Tom Fletcher (McFly), The Creakers, A Magical Musical Adventure will debut at TRP from 25 October – 02 November with tickets now on sale.
In keeping with the show’s key sustainability theme, much of the set and costumes use reclaimed materials and have been created locally, crafted at TRP’s flagship Production and Learning Centre, TR2. The Cattedown-based workshop and rehearsal space, which this summer celebrated its 21st birthday, has manufactured the sets of Whiffington and the Woleb, as well as props to guide the audience along Lucy’s journey.
In total, a team of ten specialist costume makers worked for four weeks to create around 50 costumes for the show.
TRP’s extensive wardrobe department, based at TR2 in Cattedown, houses a vast collection of thousands of costumes from all different genres and time periods with garments rescued from previous shows, donated by the public or bought second hand.
For The Creakers specifically, a lot more thought and effort has gone into ensuring that where possible the fabric and materials are locally sourced or come from preloved items, cut and repurposed into a costume.
Delia Lancaster, Head of Wardrobe at TRP, said: “We always try to be as eco-friendly as we can, but with The Creakers, we’ve gone the extra mile; scouring local suppliers for certain fabrics or buying second-hand clothing to repurpose. We are still learning as we go, and with each show we do going forward, we will become smarter, quicker and, ultimately, greener.”
For the set, a central revolving piece of scenery will rotate to represent both the Woleb and Whiffington. Ten people are currently working on set in workshop and four people in the drawing room. The added emphasis on being green, has seen the workshop team visiting local scrapstores to salvage materials rather than buy new.
Head of Project Development at TRP, Sebastian Soper, said: “The prominence on sustainability has impacted how we approach the materials for The Creakers and has made it slightly more challenging. We were very lucky that we found a floor we could reuse which is currently being painted and adjusted and the framework is now coming together.”
The Creaker puppets too began life locally, originally developed at The Barns Lamledra near Saint Austell, which was the creative base of renowned theatre company Kneehigh. Throughout the summer, six puppet makers led by Puppetry Director Sarah Wright and Puppet Designer Lyndie Wright – both from Curious School of Puppetry – were busy researching and developing the Woleb-based residents and conceptualising ways to bring them to life. These designs have led to the creation of eight puppet characters, including costume-puppets and table-top puppets.
The Creakers follows Lucy, who wakes up one morning to discover all the grown-ups in her town of Whiffington have disappeared. While all the other kids are excited by the newfound freedom and the lack of rules, Lucy wants her Dad back and sets off to find him, along with her friends Norman and Ella.
Tickets for this magical musical adventure, with an unforgettable soundtrack, are on sale now at https://theatreroyal.com/whats-on/creakers/