Three Stories About Flying – touring 2020

Since 2015, Goldfield Productions have created highly acclaimed touring musical storytelling productions, inspiring a sense of wonder and curiosty in our youngest audiences. The shows last around 50 minutes and have been seen and heard by over 9000 children in more than 60 schools and public setting.  Goldfield’s children’s productions present a unique blend of the finest chamber music intricately woven into original storytelling and imaginative live imagery in the form of simple props, puppetry and shadow-play. Ideally placed for KS1 and KS2 children, the shows develops empathy and understanding for others and encourage an artistic ‘have-a-go’ culture through the use of paper cut-out shadow silhouettes.

‘Astonishingly good – you kept 250 children absolutely captivated from start to finish’ (Foxton Primary School, 2018)

Our new show for 2020: Three Stories About Flying

In Goldfield’s trademark ‘Three Stories’  style, three linked stories (featuring children in different circumstances) are told with humour, pathos and respect.

500 years ago, young Leonardo da Vinci dreams of making flying machines….200 years ago, Martha Pocock is launched across the Avon Gorge in a wicker basket attached to a set of kites…and in 2020, Charley Finn has a soaring imagination taking him into a futuristic world of space travel…. Meanwhile, paper birds flit and swoop across stores and centuries, linking the lives of the children in curious ways.

Three Stories About Flying is a show about resilience and resourcefulness, about finding inspiration in the most unlikely of places and how flights of fantasy can inspire incredible real-life achievements. Where will your imagination take you?

The story is written and narrated by Kate Romano, a weekly BBC Radio 3 story-writer and presenter. Live chamber music is performed by the acclaimed Goldfield musicians (string quartet and hand-held percussion). The show is richly illustrated with shadow-images and evocative music by Andrea Gabrieli (16^th century), Schubert (1824), English Folk Song and mesmeric works from the 20^th century.

Production Information

• Duration: approx 60 minutes total (50 minutes show plus question time)
• Audio and comms: No sound system / audio is necessary. No communications system necessary (but please see below for larger groups of children)

Three Stories About Flying set comprises:

• 1 x projection screen: freestanding, floor mounted 5ft square screen (stretched fire-treated canvas over metal frame)
• 1 x portable overhead projector and small props
• 5 x lit music stands (wired)
• 1 x laser LED projection lamp
• [All items provided by Goldfield Productions]

Please kindly note:

1. As the show involves shadow-play and projections, the performance space needs to be able to shut out daylight. The room does not have to be pitch black, but it must be possible to reduce natural daylight by around 90%. Simple blinds or drawn thick curtains are usually adequate. The darker the room, the better the show will look!
2. We would be grateful if venues could provide: 4 x adult sized chairs, I x long table / low bench (such as the ‘balancing beam’ benches used in school gyms and assemblies), sockets near to the performance space.
3. The production can be seen by up to 180 children / audience members at any one time. The show is acoustic, but if a hand-held or clip-on microphone (for the narrator) is available at the school, we can potentially accommodate up to 280 children / audience members depending on the shape of the hall (‘deep’ seating is preferable to ‘wide’ seating so that children can see the screen)
4. The production is suitable for KS1 and KS2 children. It is ideally suited for years 2-6.
5. Parking: Schools must be able to offer space for an estate car close to the venue and accessible throughout Goldfield’s engagement including set-up and performance.
6. Get-in / set-up time: 30 minutes minimum in the hall / venue (but we prefer 45 minutes or longer!) Get out / strike time: approx. 30 minutes
7. Goldfield Productions will provide:  insurance documents, enhanced DBS certificates

‘Beautiful, thoughtful, mesmeric, funny and what wonderful music…what a terrific and imaginative way to tell stories with music and it appealed to all of our children from year 1 to year 6’   (Great Staughton Primary School, 2018)

Our children’s productions are unique; we never ‘dumb down’ and we aren’t afraid to tackle topical, relevant issues in a child-friendly manner. We mix humour, fact, fiction, empathy and wide-eyed curiosity with wonderful chamber music, drawing children (and adults) into our magical, shadowy worlds.  Our childrens’ productions are developed at the highest level, yet still able to ‘pop-up’ in a venue with just 30 minutes get-in time.

‘Our complex needs students remained absolutely enthralled throughout the show as the sounds and pictures appeared and disappeared…’ (Castle School  2019)

Since 2014, we have told the stories of paper forests, marvellous inventions, marsh sprites & green mists, puppets who play toy pianos, the man who thought birds migrated to the moon, gypsy fortune tellers and refugee children who have adventures in far off lands. Each story is written and narrated by Goldfield Artistic Director Kate Romano (a story writer and presenter for BBC Radio 3) interwoven with extracts of inspiring and memorable chamber music. Over five years, children have discovered toe-tapping repertoire by Stravinksy and Bartok, the mesmerising sonic landscape of John Adams and Philip Glass, string quartets by Ravel, Beethoven, Haydn, Elizabeth Maconchy and the uplifting  folk music from the UK  and far-flung reaches of Afghanistan. Children have sung with us, created percussion ‘machines’ and learned how to make their own music-box compositions with our interactive online Scratch game.

‘Wow- that was quite incredible – we’ve never had anything quite so extraordinary here at Hartford’ (Headteacher, Hartford Primary 2019)

‘A mesmerising performance which the children and adults all enjoyed enormously – the Goldfield Ensemble has once again inspired and amazed us with Bogles, Marsh Sprites & Green Mists – wow!’ (Linton Heights)

‘A magical and wonderful performance…really very special indeed’ (Moorlands Primary 2019)

‘Wow – we absolutely LOVED Bogles!’ (John Grant School 2019)

‘Absolutely magical….. Thank you so much for the opportunity to have live music come to Eynesbury and Brampton this week.  The children loved it and the Goldfield Ensemble pitched their concert really well to the children and kept their attention throughout’ 

(Brampton Primary School, 2018) 

‘My children couldn’t stop talking about it when we went back to our classroom.. all the children were engaged, interested and enthralled by the stories, puppetry and music…. you grabbed their attention, caught their imaginations and held them with great timing, action and of course the amazing music’

(Steeple Morden Primary School, 2018)

And most importantly  – what do the children think of our shows?

‘I loved the stories and the music and the way they all worked together’……’I loved it so much – I want to see it again and again’……’It was a tiny bit scary but good-scary…funny-scary…I want more bogles!’……’I love the way you all play together like a team’…..’That was awesome..the most awesome thing I have seen’….’I loved the music when it went really really fast and then was so quiet..’….’I loved trying to guess how you did the pictures…but I don’t know!’…..’I like the cello best…I loved the show..all of it!’…..’That was the best thing I have ever seen’