Metta Theatre is getting set to take over playgrounds across London with its new show Monkey & Crocodile, which will premiere at the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival next month.
Written and co-directed by Poppy Burton-Morgan, Monkey & Crocodile is based on a classic Indian fable of friendship, betrayal and cunning, and features an exciting mix of aerial circus, acrobatics, live music and skateboards, as well as more than 100 fresh apples!
Beginning its London tour at the Meridian Estate Play Site as part of the Greenwich+Docklands International Festival from 22 June to 21 July, the free and unticketed show will then play at Wimbledon’s High Path Estate (6 to 7 July), in association with Polka theatre, and the Eagle Brewery Wharf in Kingston (13 July).
Audiences will be invited to enter a playground forest to find friendly Monkey monkeying around on the monkey bars with her new best friend Crocodile zipping around on his skateboard. All is not what it seems, however, and clever Monkey must keep her wits about her if she is to escape the clutches of Crocodile’s mean mother.
Co-directed and choreographed by Layla Rose, the show follows Metta Theatre’s success with Arab Nights at the Soho theatre and The Elephant’s Child at the Arcola theatre and Trafalgar Studios.
Speaking about the company’s hopes for the new production, Burton-Morgan said: “Communities who don’t necessarily access live performance will find Monkey & Crocodile right on their doorsteps and in their playgrounds. We hope the show – full of surprises and fun – will be a step on an exciting journey into the arts for newcomers and regular theatregoers alike, young and old, and everyone in between.”
As part of the tour, which will also visit cities outside of the capital during the summer, families are invited to join free workshops in juggling, clowning and acro-balance. For workshops taking place on 6 and 7 July at 16:00 visit www.polkatheatre.com for information, and for Eagle Brewary Wharf’s workshop at 09:30 on 13 July visit www.iyafestival.co.uk