The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean
All people who are young at heart in Adelaide will surely love The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean, presented by the Adelaide Festival from February 28th until March 16th.
Scotland’s Catherine Wheels Theatre Company joins with puppeteer Shona Reppe to stage this award-winning production, in which wonderful things come in small packages.
Shona Reppe is at the forefront of puppetry in Scotland, and in The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean we see her as professional scrapologist, Dr Patricia Baker. Bit by bit, through careful examination of an old scrapbook’s quirky contents (seaweed, food stains, train ticket stubs, photos and a list of ‘dangerous things’ including porridge) she takes the audience into a secret and magical world to discover the surprising answer to the question: who was Josephine Bean?
Last seen in Australia in 2010 when she toured Windmill Theatre’s Cinderella, Shona Reppe has received rave reviews for shows such as Olga Volt the Electric Fairy, Cinderella and Potato Needs a Bath. She is well qualified, having graduated in 1991 in Theatre and History of Art at Glasgow University, followed by a Post Grad in Stage Design at the Welsh College of Drama. She studied Puppetry at The London School of Puppetry Summer School, before establishing Shona Reppe Puppets in 1996. Reppe is now dedicated to creating small scale theatre for children and Families.
Reviews for The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean include:
“…a highly original, beautifully delicate and thoroughly engaging piece of children’s theatre.”- Sunday Herald (UK).
“A truly sensory and thought-provoking piece- a great piece of children’s theatre that is not just for children.”- Total Theatre (UK).
Created and designed by Shona Reppe and directed by Gill Robertson, The Curious Scrapbook of Josephine Bean is a charming, inventive, gripping and funny children’s mystery story and irresistible theatre for the imagination.
2012 winner of Best Show for Children in the Theatre Awards UK, the production is suitable for children six-seven years upwards.
Lesley Reed
Bookings: adelaidefestival.com.au or BASS 131 246
Dates: Wed 5 March- Thurs 6 March, 10 am and 1.30 pm; Fri 7 Mar, 10am and 6pm; Sat 8 Mar-Sun 9 Mar, 11 am and 2pm.
45 minutes, no interval.
Venue: Odeon Theatre, Norwood.
Tickets: $20-$25.
Photographer: Douglas McBride